peach
1 Americannoun
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peaches
plural
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the subacid, juicy, drupaceous fruit of a tree, Prunus persica, of the rose family.
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the tree itself, cultivated in temperate climates.
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a light pinkish yellow, as of a peach.
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Informal. a person or thing that is especially attractive, liked, or enjoyed.
adjective
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made or cooked with peaches or a flavor like that of a peach.
peach pie.
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of the color peach.
verb (used without object)
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peaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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peached,
past participle, past
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peaching
present participle
verb (used with object)
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peaches,
present (3rd person singular)
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peached,
past participle, past
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peaching
present participle
noun
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a small rosaceous tree, Prunus persica, with pink flowers and rounded edible fruit: cultivated in temperate regions See also nectarine
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the soft juicy fruit of this tree, which has a downy reddish-yellow skin, yellowish-orange sweet flesh, and a single stone See also nectarine
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a pinkish-yellow to orange colour
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( as adjective )
a peach dress
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informal a person or thing that is especially pleasing
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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peachsimple
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peachessimple
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have peachedperfect
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has peachedperfect
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am peachingprogressive
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are peachingprogressive
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is peachingprogressive
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have been peachingperfect progressive
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has been peachingperfect progressive
Past
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peachedsimple
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had peachedperfect
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was peachingprogressive
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were peachingprogressive
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had been peachingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of peach1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English peche, peoch, from Old French pesche, peske, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin pess(i)ca, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin Persicum, mālum Persicum “peach,” literally, “Persian apple,” translation of Greek mêlon persikón “peach (fruit)”
Origin of peach2
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English pechen, shortening of Middle English apechen, from Anglo-French apecher, from Late Latin impedicāre “to hold up, entangle”; see impeach
Explanation
A peach is a very sweet, juicy fruit with an edible peel and a hard pit in the middle. Peaches vary in color from almost white to yellow and pinkish-red. Peaches grow on trees in temperate climates — they need warm weather, but they also require a hard freeze in the winter to produce fruit. Before the fruit grows on the tree, it blooms in beautiful pink blossoms. Ripe peaches drip with sweetness. Informally, you can refer to something or someone this nice as a peach: "Thanks for driving me to school today! You're a peach!"
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:
They laid a buffet with French wine and cheeses, roast chicken, and Aggrey’s salads, one with watermelon, one with peach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Pophams bakery, which has branches in east London, has had a peach and sweetcorn danish pastry on its menu.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
It simply gives me a stopping point before I begin believing every peach, pickle and pastry belongs to the plan.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
There were vendors selling peach cobbler, watches, hot dogs and offering tattoos and face paint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
One second later...slowly, insidiously, oh most gently, the great peach started to lean forward and steal into motion.
From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
At the Farmers Market, breakfast is maybe three oranges, two apples, a basket of strawberries, half a melon and two peaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
As the peaches soften, periodically crush them against the side of the saucepan with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to help release their juices.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Whole fruits included apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, grapes, pears, melons, strawberries and peaches.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
By early June, the blue stalls selling flowers, peaches, tomatoes and strawberries were open again, separated by a thin green mesh from the ruins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
“When Del Monte took the peaches out of the tin and put them in a glass container, people said, ‘Ahh, this is something like my grandmother used to make.’
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
The scheme fell through when the lady loyally peached.
From Time Magazine Archive
If Hal peached on us, we would go up along with him, so, you see, the money must be raised somehow.
From Jolly Sally Pendleton Or, the Wife Who Was Not a Wife by Laura Jean Libbey
He would have peached, Joey—have had me transported, to work in chains for the rest of my days, merely for taking a few pheasants.
From The Poacher Joseph Rushbrook by Frederick Marryat
It was the lad who had peached upon him about the grocer's cart; but he bore little malice, not at least towards the young and small.
From Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Mrs Skeffington-Smythe, a little, soft kitten of a woman with striped grey eyes and the softest, whitest paws in the world, peached out and gave me the first scratch.
From The Claw by Cynthia Stockley
For many years "peaching" was underworld slang for denouncing someone to the authorities.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2016
They went on with the good work of peaching on Kulaks.
From Time Magazine Archive
In Paris fortnight ago the Frenchman who got 20 years for peaching on Nurse Cavell to the Germans, M. George Gaston Quien, was out of jail, having served 17 years.
From Time Magazine Archive
Most Saar police at once went Nazi, strove to keep their jobs by peaching on fellow policemen whom they claimed were non-Nazi.
From Time Magazine Archive
"I'd a little sooner you wouldn't say anything to A. A. about me peaching on him," said "Soapy," somewhat nervously.
From West Wind Drift by George Barr McCutcheon
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