ivy
noun
a climbing vine, Hedera helix, having smooth, shiny, evergreen leaves, small, yellowish flowers, and black berries, grown as an ornamental.
ivy
1 American
[ahy-vee]
/ ˈaɪ vi /
noun
-
ivies
plural
-
Also called English ivy. a climbing vine, Hedera helix, having smooth, shiny, evergreen leaves, small, yellowish flowers, and black berries, grown as an ornamental.
-
any of various other climbing or trailing plants.
adjective
-
(often initial capital letter) Ivy League.
-
New England. mountain laurel.
Ivy
2
American
[ahy-vee]
/ ˈaɪ vi /
noun
ivy
British
/ ˈaɪvɪ /
noun
-
any woody climbing or trailing araliaceous plant of the Old World genus Hedera, esp H. helix, having lobed evergreen leaves and black berry-like fruits
-
any of various other climbing or creeping plants, such as Boston ivy, poison ivy, and ground ivy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ivy
before 900; Middle English ivi; Old English ifig; akin to German Efeu
Explanation
Ivy is a plant that climbs fences and trellises, or creeps along the ground as it grows. Most ivy has dark, shiny leaves with five points. There are many types of ivy, from English ivy (which you can also grow indoors), to the true ivy's close relative, poison ivy, which is famously irritating, causing a terrible, itchy rash. Ivies are evergreen, which means they keep their green leaves in the winter. The so-called "Ivy League" is a group of eight selective colleges (including Harvard and Princeton), given this name for the ivy that creeps up many of the campuses' old brick buildings.
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:
Current treatments work reasonably well for chemical itch caused by irritants such as mosquito bites or poison ivy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Dubbed the French Ivy House thanks to the abundance of ivy covering the stucco walls, the 3,473-square-foot layout of the star’s former dwelling features plenty of space.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Campus comedies seem to be flourishing, like ivy on Harvard brick, or mold in a bathroom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
“As a temporary measure, to protect the mural artworks, Caltrans has been installing artificial ivy, which has aesthetic benefits and acts as a graffiti deterrent and is a more environmentally friendly solution to graffiti removal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
There, at the very top of the sky was a golden archway made of ivy.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
The Ivy League college submitted plans to the town for a $200 million expansion of an existing building to house the computer-science department.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Michael Clarkson, a computer-science professor at Cornell University, said that the Ivy League university in Ithaca, N.Y., experienced a roughly 15% decline in students declaring the major in the last year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
Ivy Tse is co-founder of FreightAmigo, a Hong Kong logistics company that runs an online platform for both Hong Kong and mainland China exporters.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
But if Aurich routinely gives the Crimson the most stressful practice tests in football, he also slips them the most valuable cheat sheet in the Ivy League.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Ivy needed to spend all night every night cradled in the charging station, or she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Perhaps this is passe as well, but ivies can be grown on wire forms to produce topiaries.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2017
In the 1970s, there was Watergate and war and turmoil in the Middle East, and housewives hung ivies, pothos and devil’s backbone from their macramé plant hangers.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 6, 2017
Consider planting akebias, climbing roses and noninvasive ivies to hide the fence and create a living wall.
From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2013
Kate Nesbitt, like a hard wall beneath gracious ivies, considers her best-loved daughter as good as dead.
From Time Magazine Archive
Between the ivies, tuberoses, and lilies, you caught a glimpse of gilded walls and rare paintings.
From Prudy Keeping House by Sophie May
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
