privet

American  

[priv-it] / ˈprɪv ɪt /

noun

privets plural

1. any of various deciduous or evergreen shrubs of the genus Ligustrum, especially L. vulgare, having clusters of small white flowers and commonly grown as a hedge.

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privet British  

/ ˈprɪvɪt /

noun

1. 1. any oleaceous shrub of the genus Ligustrum, esp L. vulgare or L. ovalifolium , having oval dark green leaves, white flowers, and purplish-black berries

   2. ( as modifier )

      a privet hedge

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• privets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of privet

First recorded in 1535–45; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

privet privets

“There was a privet hedge, a lonely juniper, a hibiscus, a large bird of paradise and a camellia bush,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

The sites were relatively undisturbed by humans and didn’t have common invasive plants such as Chinese privet.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 5, 2023

On the morning of 29 May 2008 a park ranger discovered a woman's body behind a privet hedge in the middle of Queen's Park, Glasgow.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2020

Mr. Saralegui said it was one part privet.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2018

Cal had lain still where he had fallen under the tall privet in Kate’s front yard.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Most people come to Bekonscot for containment and trimmed privets, for a place forever amber.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 23, 2018

The yard was so massed with tall privets that he couldn’t see much of the house.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Trust not too much to colour, beauteous boy; White privets fall, dark hyacinths are culled.

From The Bucolics and Eclogues by Virgil

Off we went, dodging laurels and privets, and poured out on to the lawn, a disordered company.

From The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Rohmer, Sax

Other plants that hold their leaves and are good for hedges are the common box and the privets.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)