honeysuckle

American  

[huhn-ee-suhk-uhl] / ˈhʌn iˌsʌk əl /

noun

1. any of numerous North American and Eurasian shrubs or twining vines of the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), many species of which are hardy climbers known for their highly fragrant tubular flowers, especially those of genus Lonicera.

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honeysuckle British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌsʌkəl /

noun

1. any temperate caprifoliaceous shrub or vine of the genus Lonicera: cultivated for their fragrant white, yellow, or pink tubular flowers

2. any of several similar plants

3. any of various Australian trees or shrubs of the genus Banksia, having flowers in dense spikes: family Proteaceae

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Usage

What is honeysuckle? Honeysuckle is a climbing or upright shrub with fragrant white, yellow, pink, or red tubular flowers. This flower can also be called a honeysuckle. They are known for having a sweet drop of nectar that you can get by pulling the stamen out of the base of the flower blossom. However, other parts of the plant can be toxic if ingested. There are many different species of honeysuckle, including Diervilla lonicera and Lonicera periclymenum. Any species in the genus Lornicera can be called honeysuckle. Names for some varieties of honeysuckle include woodbine and common honeysuckle. The honeysuckle is one of the June birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Example: The kids made a bouquet of wild honeysuckle flowers that they found in the woods.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• honeysuckled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of honeysuckle

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English honisoukel, equivalent to honisouke + -el; see honey, suck, -le

Example Sentences

The beds are dotted with scented flowers such as honeysuckle, jasmine and lavender, and textured foliage and grasses that patients can touch and smell from their beds.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

The dispersed woodlands of western Illinois, where I now live, are filled with many of the plants you’d expect: oaks, bluebells and honeysuckle.

From Salon • May 27, 2025

Orchard Hills’ zone is filled with prickly pear cacti, Japanese honeysuckle and Formosa firethorn.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

You can taste the grassy honeysuckle and anise flavors of the sugar cane in the piloncillo because it’s made by hand without industrial processing, she said, adding that the chocolatería prefers it to regular sugar.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2024

She ducked under the tangled honeysuckle toward the garden path, using her trowel like a machete to hack through some overgrown vines that crowded her jungly little porch.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver