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.
(often initial capital letter) Ivy League.
New England. mountain laurel.
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
before 900; Middle English ivi; Old English ifig; akin to German Efeu
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Five easy-to-grow plants recommended by RHS include the Madagascar dragon tree, English ivy, rubber plant, Boston fern and Sansevieria trifasciata.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
He turned back toward the wood— thinking of the ivy he’d seen, thinking he could make a rope—when there was a crack behind them in the dark of the forest.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Sunday’s show followed two earlier Yankee Stadium gigs in which Jay-Z brought out Beyoncé and their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, as well as Nas, Eminem, Memphis Bleek, Jaz-O and Slick Rick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Platner, who had no political experience, was recruited into the race by Daniel Moraff, an Ivy League–educated consultant who served as a headhunter for progressive and unconventional Democratic candidates.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
Other names making up the top ten for girls include Isla in fourth, followed by Florence, Freya, Poppy, Elsie, Ivy and new entry Isabella.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Matt Freese, who holds an Ivy League economics degree, came out of practically nowhere to secure the job as the U.S. national team’s starting goalkeeper—and his analytical approach has been integral to his rise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Lucinda, Ivy, Josie, and the mystery girl circled around Max.
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
When they did go back to Shanganagh, the old place lost its sweet peace, the ivies fell, the servants left.
From Time Magazine Archive
Dark ivies swarmed over an elm-tree, and a brown clustering fungus sprang in gross masses on the lawn, showing where the roots of dead trees moldered.
From The Hill of Dreams by Machen, Arthur
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.
