maraschino cherry

American

noun

a cherry cooked in colored syrup and flavored with maraschino, used to garnish desserts, cocktails, etc.

maraschino cherry British

noun

a cherry preserved in maraschino or an imitation of this liqueur, used as a garnish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of maraschino cherry

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

maraschino cherry

Of course, I'll never turn down a maraschino cherry, with its waxy, artificial essence, a bright spot on top of any milkshake or sundae.

From Salon ● May 6, 2025

Monday night’s national championship game is the maraschino cherry atop the sundae of post-season college football.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2022

Pour in cream soda and top with a maraschino cherry.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2021

Colors ranged from the palest onionskin to an almost brilliant maraschino cherry, yet the color was rarely a clue to the body and character of the wine.

From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2019

Not normal hair-color red, red like a maraschino cherry.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023