poppy

[ pop-ee ]

See synonyms for poppy on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural pop·pies for 1, 2, 4-7.

any plant of the genus Papaver, having showy, usually red flowers.: Compare poppy family.
any of several related or similar plants, as the California poppy or the prickly poppy.

an extract, as opium, from such a plant.
Also called poppy red. an orangish red resembling scarlet.
Architecture. poppyhead.
an artificial flower resembling a poppy, especially one received as evidence of a contribution to a fund for disabled war veterans.

Idioms about poppy

tall poppy, Australian. someone of preeminence or with a large income; important and powerful person.

Origin of poppy

before 900; Middle English; Old English popæg, papig ≪ Vulgar Latin *papāvum, for Latin papāver

Other words from poppy

pop·py·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use poppy in a sentence

The nanas and poppies and grannies and grampses who flocked there to roast in the sun.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’ | Asawin Suebsaeng | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
It is actually the coagulation of thousands of ceramic poppies.
Blood and War: The Hard Truth About ‘Boots on the Ground’ | Clive Irving | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In London, a sea of ceramic poppies were released from the Tower of London to mark the date.
William And Kate Mark World War I Centenary In Belgium | Tom Sykes | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It felt like prancing, she said, like the way a happy horse frolics through a field of poppies.
‘Prancercise’ Creator on Her ‘Wacky’ Workout and Being Too Famous to Prancercise | Winston Ross | May 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Harry also knelt on one knee and layed poppies at the grave of the unknown soldier as the last post was played.
Prince Harry's U.S. Tour: Rolling Updates and all the News and Pictures as It Happens | Tom Sykes | May 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

Her hat was covered with poppies and wild azalea, and she had a sheaf of buttercups and "blue eyes" in her belt.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
Glancing out I saw one of the calves investigating a bed of poppies as if meditating a dose of laudanum to induce sleepfulness.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthur
The many white turbans, stirring hither and thither, reminded her of a field of white poppies in a breeze.
The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
Besides these Poppies, the large double garden Poppies are very showy and of great variety in colour, but they are only annuals.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare | Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
She drives through Kent, "where the fields, valleys, and slopes are garlanded with hops and ablaze with scarlet poppies."
The Poems of Emma Lazarus | Emma Lazarus

British Dictionary definitions for poppy (1 of 2)

poppy¹

/ (ˈpɒpɪ) /

nounplural -pies

any of numerous papaveraceous plants of the temperate genus Papaver, having red, orange, or white flowers and a milky sap: See corn poppy, Iceland poppy, opium poppy
any of several similar or related plants, such as the California poppy, prickly poppy, horned poppy, and Welsh poppy

obsolete any of the drugs, such as opium, that are obtained from these plants
- a strong red to reddish-orange colour
- (as adjective): a poppy dress
a less common name for poppyhead (def. 2)
an artificial red poppy flower worn to mark Remembrance Sunday

Origin of poppy

Old English popæg, ultimately from Latin papāver

British Dictionary definitions for poppy (2 of 2)

poppy²

/ (ˈpɒpɪ) /

adjective-pier or -piest

of or relating to pop music

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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