grape

American  

[greyp] / greɪp /

noun

grapes plural

1. the edible, pulpy, smooth-skinned berry or fruit that grows in clusters on vines of the genus Vitis, and from which wine is made.

2. any vine bearing this fruit.

3. a dull, dark, purplish-red color.

4. (used with a singular verb) grapes,

   1. tuberculosis occurring in cattle, characterized by the internal formation of grapelike clusters, especially in the lungs.

   2. tuberculosis occurring in horses, characterized by grapelike clusters on the fetlocks.

5. grapeshot.

6. the grape, wine.

---

grape British  

/ ɡreɪp /

noun

1. the fruit of the grapevine, which has a purple or green skin and sweet flesh: eaten raw, dried to make raisins, currants, or sultanas, or used for making wine

2. any of various plants that bear grapelike fruit, such as the Oregon grape

3. See grapevine

4. an informal term for wine

5. See grapeshot

---

grape Idioms  

1. see sour grapes.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grapeless
  adjective
• grapelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grapes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grape

1200–50; Middle English < Old French, variant of crape cluster of fruit or flowers, originally hook (for pruning vines) < Germanic; compare German Krapf hook and grapple ( def. ), grapnel

Explanation

A grape is a small, sweet fruit that grows in clusters on a vine. Most grapes are either purple or green, and they make a delicious addition to a fruit salad. Though grapes naturally contain tiny seeds, many varieties of so-called "table grapes" are bred to be seedless, so you can pop one grape after another in your mouth. Dried grapes are known as raisins, and this versatile berry is used to make many other products, including jelly, juice, and wine. Experts believe the word grape comes from an Old French verb, graper, "catch with a hook" or "pick grapes off the vine."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grape grapes

Now heatwaves are threatening the grape crop and raising costs for the 2026 vintage, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Announced last week in a post on Instagram, the drink was described as a “clarified tonic” with coconut water, jasmine tea, raw honey, holy basil, anise hyssop, green cardamom, white grape juice and coconut milk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Even though every participant responded differently, researchers observed that grape consumption consistently altered gene expression in all subjects.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

"Pollution is killing livestock farming and grape harvests, once the backbone of the local economy," he said.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

The slopes and low hills that fell gently toward the river only appeared welcoming; underneath vines, carpet grass, wild grape, hibiscus and wood sorrel, the ground was as porous as a sieve.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans but for winegrowers in Italy and France, who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Whole fruits included apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, grapes, pears, melons, strawberries and peaches.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

The drink’s evolution has included more sparkling wines made with red wine grapes, such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

“There’s some sour grapes on both the Democratic and the Republican sides about the way that things ended up playing out,” Wilson said.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

Here and there one edge of the ruptured skin rose over the other, revealing its fatty layers, and little obtrusions like miniature bunches of red grapes forced up from the fissure.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan