any of several usually spiny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Prosopis, of the legume family, as P. juliflora or P. glandulosa, of western North America, having bipinnate leaves and beanlike pods and often forming dense thickets.
the wood of such a tree or shrub, used especially in grilling or barbecuing food.
any of various similar or related plants.
1830–40, < Mexican Spanish mezquite < Nahuatl mizquitl
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The corner of the yard, shaded by mesquite and shoestring willows, had fallen conspicuously quiet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Hidden on Pico Boulevard behind no obvious sign and characterized by hood-free mesquite grills and stacked wine crates, the place exuded a secret charm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Birds sing among dense copses of mesquite trees; flowers hang heavily from bushes; ocelots and jaguars pass through.
From Slate ● May 26, 2025
About 100 native trees, including desert willows, ironwoods and mesquite, were donated by a local nursery and planted.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
Lush, green mesquite bordered the road and shut off most of the horizon.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
The No. 2 company on the list, Hithium, opened a factory last year in Mesquite, Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The new General Dynamics facility in Mesquite, Texas, will make 30,000 each month once it reaches its full capacity.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2024
In Palm Springs, some neighbors of the former Mesquite Golf & Country Club resisted plans to restore that land to a natural state, saying they preferred the vista provided by a manicured 18-hole championship course.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
Police identified the driver as Payton Lawrence, 19, of Mesquite.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
The Mesquite settlement, across the Virgin from Bunkerville, was established in 1880, but was abandoned a few years later, again to be settled in 1895, from Utah.
From Mormon Settlement in Arizona A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the Desert by James H. McClintock
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.
