hibiscus

American  

[hahy-bis-kuhs, hi-] / haɪˈbɪs kəs, hɪ- /

noun

hibiscuses plural

1. Also called China rose.  a woody plant, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, of the mallow family, having large, showy flowers: the state flower of Hawaii.

2. any of numerous other plants, shrubs, or trees of the genus Hibiscus, characterized by lobate or dentate leaves and usually profusely blooming flowers.

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hibiscus British  

/ haɪˈbɪskəs /

noun

1. any plant of the chiefly tropical and subtropical malvaceous genus Hibiscus, esp H. rosa-sinensis, cultivated for its large brightly coloured flowers

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hibiscuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hibiscus

1700–10; < New Latin, Latin < Greek hibískos mallow

Example Sentences

Property records reveal that the home, which is situated in Miami Beach on a human-made island, was snapped up by Hibiscus East LLC for $46 million.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Upstream players such as Hibiscus Petroleum and Dialog will likely benefit from higher realized oil prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

My time at Hibiscus and EMP, along with my entire culinary background, was rooted in high-end, precise techniques and classical training.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

Crafting Purple Hibiscus was so big a task that the team worked in Tamale's sports stadium, built for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2024

Hibiscus smiled at her, then leaned over to join Whisper in looking at the scrape Moss had on his arm.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi