cranberry
Americannoun
-
the red, acid fruit or berry of certain plants of the genus Vaccinium, of the heath family, as V. macrocarpon large cranberry, or American cranberry or V. oxycoccus small cranberry, or European cranberry, used in making sauce, relish, jelly, or juice.
-
the plant itself, growing wild in bogs or cultivated in acid soils, especially in the northeastern U.S.
noun
-
any of several trailing ericaceous shrubs of the genus Vaccinium, such as the European V. oxycoccus, that bear sour edible red berries
-
the berry of this plant, used to make sauce or jelly
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cranberry
An Americanism dating back to 1640–50; from Low German kraanbere; see crane, berry
Compare meaning
How does cranberry compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing cranberry
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Red
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To attract increasingly discerning consumers, Kroger has offered a precooked holiday meal for eight of turkey or ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry and gravy for about $11 a person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
Alongside the usual essentials, it will be asking for items such as custard, cranberry sauce and gravy.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2025
I like my cranberry sauce on the thicker side; no one wants to risk dripping bright red juice on their holiday sweater.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
Fried potatoes reheat better than mashed, and latkes are an ideal vehicle to pile turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2025
He’d also made creamed onions, wild rice, cranberry sauce, and squash casserole.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
It’s made with finely chopped cranberries and California Valencia oranges that are both sweetened with cane sugar.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
Holiday staples such as turkey, stuffing and cranberries cost less than in 2024, partly because of widespread discounting, but also because overall demand for turkey and wheat—which is used to make stuffing—has been down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
The roughly $40 basket includes a Butterball frozen turkey, a five-pound bag of potatoes, boxed macaroni and cheese and stuffing mixes, fresh cranberries and the ingredients for a green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
One cup of whole, raw cranberries contains 190 calories.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2024
I got to wear my favorite dress, which is made from the softest velvet the color of cranberries.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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.
