planter
Americannoun
-
a person who plants.
-
an implement or machine for planting seeds in the ground.
-
the owner or manager of a plantation.
-
History/Historical. a colonist or new settler.
-
a decorative container, of a variety of sizes and shapes, for growing flowers or ornamental plants.
noun
-
the owner or manager of a plantation
-
a machine designed for rapid, uniform, and efficient planting of seeds in the ground
-
a colonizer or settler
-
a decorative pot or stand for house plants
Etymology
Origin of planter
First recorded in 1350–1400, planter is from the Middle English word plaunter. See plant, -er 1
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.
The name comes from an estate built on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in the early years of the 18th century by Philemon Hemsley, a wealthy merchant and tobacco planter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
“I was trying to take a picture of the beautiful turquoise planter at the end of the pool, but the camera was on me, so I just snapped it,” she later told PEOPLE.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2025
“I grabbed a festive disco ball planter with a pothos in it, came home to put it on our windowsill, and I was just so excited,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Aguirre’s wife, Maria, pointed out the wooden planter boxes that had been placed on Bonnie Brae to discourage camping.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2024
All the way back to Papa’s corn planter I was feeling terrible.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
![]()
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.