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
Birds sing among dense copses of mesquite trees; flowers hang heavily from bushes; ocelots and jaguars pass through.
From Slate ● May 26, 2025
La Casa looms above a mostly flat landscape dotted with mesquite bushes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2024
He’ll roll out a vertical spit to slow-roast a beehive of al pastor pork and a grill to sizzle up some mesquite aromatic beef tacos in the Northern Mexican tradition of Sonora and Nuevo León.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
It was an uprooted and dead mesquite tree, lying on the back of the wash.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Judy Moreland, of Mesquite, Texas, isn’t happy that her Medicare Advantage plan will no longer be offered next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
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
That’s testament to Hare, who came to the school this season after coaching Mesquite High School of Gilbert, Ariz., to a pair of Class 4A state titles in 2019 and 2020.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
“I see here”—he tapped the paper on his knee—“that they’re getting ready for their first dance of the winter at the Mesquite Club.”
From Children of the Desert by Louis Dodge
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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.
