plum

¹ American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. the drupaceous fruit of any of several trees belonging to the genus Prunus, of the rose family, having an oblong stone.

2. the tree itself.

3. any of various other trees bearing a plumlike fruit.

4. the fruit itself.

5. a sugarplum.

6. a raisin, as in a cake or pudding.

7. a deep purple varying from bluish to reddish.

8. Informal. an excellent or desirable thing, as a fine position.

   The choicest plums went to his old cronies.

9. Informal. an unanticipated large increase in money or property, as an unexpected legacy; a windfall.

   The company offered bonuses and other plums.

10. Also called displacer.  a large stone used in massive concrete construction.

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adjective

plummer, plummest

1. extremely desirable, rewarding, profitable, or the like.

   a plum job in the foreign service.

Plum ² American  

[pluhm] / plʌm /

noun

1. a city in SW Pennsylvania.

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plum ¹ British  

/ plʌm /

noun

1. a small rosaceous tree, Prunus domestica, with white flowers and an edible oval fruit that is purple, yellow, or green and contains an oval stone See also greengage damson

2. the fruit of this tree

3. a raisin, as used in a cake or pudding

4. 1. a dark reddish-purple colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a plum carpet

5. informal

   1. something of a superior or desirable kind, such as a financial bonus

   2. ( as modifier )

      a plum job

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plum ² British  

/ plʌm /

adjective

1. a variant spelling of plumb plumb plumb plumb

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Other Word Forms

• plumlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of plum

before 900; Middle English; Old English plūme (cognate with German Pflaume ) ≪ Greek proûmnon plum, proúmnē plum tree; prune ¹

Example Sentences

Further along the table, a three-tiered honey cake sits near a wholemeal plum cake with spiced icing, while a Swedish princess cake draws gasps of admiration with its dome of sponge, jam, custard and marzipan.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

As important, our neighbors quickly embraced us, popping over occasionally with gifts of homemade “kulen” sausage or home-brewed plum brandy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

“It played into that theme with the book really well. We made a plum Tuna crudo,” says Kai.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

However, his second home is situated on a plum corner lot that offers private water frontage on two sides, directly on the edge of the Biscayne Bay.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026

A wild plum tree yonder made a fine target.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

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• cream