a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, or other material, worn for ornament or as an honor or hung on something as a decoration.
A garland of laurel was placed on the winner's head.
a representation of such a wreath or festoon.
a collection of short literary pieces, as poems and ballads; literary miscellany.
Nautical. a band, collar, or grommet, as of rope.
Hamlin 1860–1940, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, and poet.
Judy Frances Gumm, 1922–69, U.S. singer and actress.
a city in NE Texas, near Dallas.
a male or female given name.
a wreath or festoon of flowers, leaves, etc, worn round the head or neck or hung up
a representation of such a wreath, as in painting, sculpture, etc
a collection of short literary pieces, such as ballads or poems; miscellany or anthology
nautical a ring or grommet of rope
1275–1325; Middle English ger ( e ) lande, garlande < Old French < ?
A garland is a circular arrangement of flowers, worn or hung for decoration. Think of the strings of pine and holly people hang at holiday time, or the ring of roses they put around the Kentucky Derby winner's neck. First recorded circa 1300, the word garland in the simplest terms means a circle of flowers or other greenery. Hawaiian leis are a type of garland, as are holiday wreaths and the little flower crowns that flower girls wear at weddings. If you want to get spiritual about garlands, you can refer back to this Buddha quote: "Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unlike the soft, pliable versions of the Christ child in his early Madonnas, this is a monumental, muscular putto, using his strength to hold that garland aloft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
“If you had a tree or some garland with 1,000 lights, it might have 800. Things will just get watered down, and so you will be paying the same, if not more, for less.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 8, 2026
When fall rolls around, they loop a simple garland of leaves around the bar—nothing fancy, just a whisper of the season.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
The image featured a smiling couple in formal attire under a clip art–style garland holding various baby-themed items, along with an email and phone number where I could reach them.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2025
The old nuns laugh and their eyes dance when they bend down to receive a garland of daisies or cowslips from his hand.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
But interestingly it was actually written and directed by a British film-maker, Alex Garland, and he expressed worries about his home country, as well as the US.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is directed by Alex Garland, who previously made “Civil War” and “Ex Machina” for A24.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Clippers sent 36-year-old James Harden, who was having his highest-scoring season in six years, to Cleveland in exchange for the 26-year-old Garland and a 2028 second-round selection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
With that, “Hacks” goes out on a Seinfeldian high note, cutting to Deborah and Ava happily strolling the Vegas strip on a sun-soaked day as a Barbra Streisand-Judy Garland duet lilts behind them.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
“Besides, I shall play ‘Love a Garland Is’ and ‘Lament of a Lass.’
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
Relatives also visited the blackened bar on Tuesday morning, laying garlands and praying for the dead, AFP reporters saw.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Marigold garlands and a wreath were placed on top.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
There are also many things it isn’t: no bright green garlands, no mixing of plaids in the same room, and no gift bags under the tree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
He smiled, taking in the Harley bikers parked near the cliffs and the men and women strolling nearby sporting Asir’s traditional garlands made of orange marigold, dill and artemisia, a gray-green plant similar to sage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2025
So did the garlands of flowers with which the school auditorium had been decorated for the evening.
From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper
As one of Britain's most garlanded actors and directors, his screen credits are extraordinary; Peter's Friends, Shackleton, Wallender and Hercule Poirot.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
The Hangar, where all five candidates would speak, was garlanded with flags.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2024
They had been released in 2022, when they were garlanded with flowers by their families and a lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
They have the pulpy verve of Harlem’s crime fiction godfather, Chester Himes, combined with the literary heft of Whitehead’s more garlanded novels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Networks pay out big salaries to be able to have the most familiar faces, the most famous names and the most compelling characters sit awkwardly around a low-slung table, garlanding the coverage.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2024
Manjhiyain, who died last month, was just 15 when she was ostracised by her tribe - the Santhals - for garlanding India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru 63 years ago.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2023
And in 105- degree heat, hundreds of well-wishers leaned out from balconies, snapped photos and pushed forward to greet him, garlanding him with marigolds, pelting him with flower petals and offering sweets.
From Washington Post ● May 27, 2015
Photograph: Allstar/Universal Pictures; David James; Allstar After indulging Europe by garlanding The Artist last year and The King's Speech in 2011, the Oscars seem set to come home.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 21, 2013
On another wall was a framed photograph of Comrade Pillai garlanding Comrade E. M. S. Namboodiripad.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
