prune

¹ American  

[proon] / prun /

noun

• prunes
  plural

1. a variety of plum that dries without spoiling.

2. such a plum when dried.

3. any plum.

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prune ² American  

[proon] / prun /

verb (used with object)

pruned, pruning

1. to cut or lop off (twigs, branches, or roots).

2. to cut or lop superfluous or undesired twigs, branches, or roots from; trim.

3. to rid or clear of (anything superfluous or undesirable).

4. to remove (anything considered superfluous or undesirable).

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prune ³ American  

[proon] / prun /

verb (used with object)

pruned, pruning

1. Archaic. to preen.

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prune ¹ British  

/ pruːn /

noun

1. a purplish-black partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of plum tree

2. slang a dull, uninteresting, or foolish person

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prune ² British  

/ pruːn /

verb

1. to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc) from (a tree, shrub, etc), esp by cutting off

2. to remove (anything undesirable or superfluous) from (a book, etc)

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prune ³ British  

/ pruːn /

verb

1. an archaic word for preen 1

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prune Idioms  

1. see full of beans, def. 2.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prunability
  noun
• pruner
  noun
• prunable
  adjective
• unprunable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prunes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prune¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English prune, pruna, prum “plum, dried plum, prune,” from Old French prune, pronne, prume, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin prūna, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin prūnum “plum,” from Greek proû(m)non, from a language of ancient Anatolia, where the tree and its fruit originated; see also plum

Origin of prune²

First recorded in 1400–50; from Middle English prouynen, from Middle French prougner, from Old French prooignier, proignier, poroindre “to cut back (vines); prune”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from unrecorded Vulgar Latin prōrotundiāre “to make round, cut in a rounded shape”; perhaps a variant of French provigner “to layer vines,” a derivative of provain “scion,” from Latin propāgin-, stem of propāgō; see origin at propagate; see also rotund ( def. )

Origin of prune³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prunen, pruynen, proy(g)nen, from Old French poroign-, present stem of poroindre, equivalent to por- (from Latin pro-) + oindre “to anoint”; see origin at pro- ¹, unguent; see also preen ¹

Explanation

To prune means to clip, crop, cut back, and weed out. Pruning usually happens to overgrown trees and bushes, but can also be helpful for wild eyebrows and guest lists that are too long. You may have also heard of another form of prune: the kind you eat. But other than dried plums, the word is generally used in verb form to describe giving something a much needed trim. Gardeners prune plants, cutting back dead branches and weak parts so they can thrive and grow better. Companies prune budgets to cut back on unnecessary spending. And you might need to prune your baseball hat collection if you're running out of places to put them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prune prunes pruned pruning

For next year, officials are exploring using very targeted pesticides and will prune trees early to remove potential egg-laying sites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Those bushes aren’t going to prune themselves, but they can wait.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026

Trees and plants are well-manicured: officials prune, shape and clear the shrubs regularly, and parks are governed by an elaborate rulebook that includes bans on activities like cycling, skating and kite-flying, depending on the park.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

Arnold wasn’t afraid to prune the portfolio either.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Rubio and Zeta-4 are already chewing what looks like a compressed prune square and drinking from their cups.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Snacking on 8-10 prunes a day and some rye bread can also have a similar effect.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2025

Many Sonoma growers had historically considered grapes a crop of last resort, compared with more profitable apples, prunes and olives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2025

Think of classic pairings: sautéed apples with pork chops, applesauce with latkes, or the tangy sweetness of prunes in dishes like Chicken Marbella.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2025

Herzog’s adaptation prunes away the expository overgrowth of Ibsen’s satiric drama.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024

He had found some young puffball mushrooms and a plum tree covered with purple plums which had ripened and dried almost to prunes, when he spotted the bird in the undergrowth.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman

She would include this group on a "pruned" autism spectrum along with people who have what used to be known as Asperger's and autistic people who are diagnosed during childhood.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Some European and American airlines have pruned flight schedules in response to higher jet-fuel prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

But no one expected a live demonstration, and certainly not from one of the esteemed artists featured within the museum’s pristinely pruned collection.

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

Having pruned the administrative state and cut red tape, experts say Lam will focus on spurring private sector growth and digital and technological progress.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

Except for its enormous ornamental shrubs pruned into the shapes of wide-skirted maidens, it might have been the home of any not-so-prosperous merchant.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

"Aggressive" pruning is needed to keep the harvest at a height that's convenient for workers.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Is Microsoft laying off 3,200 employees from the Xbox division just a new boss coming in and pruning an overgrown asset, or is it a sign that console gaming is coming to the end?

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

Shafer noticed he could wear a T-shirt while pruning trees instead of the usual hooded sweatshirt and knitted hat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

They’re pruning good investors who had a down year and keeping mediocre ones who got lucky.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

Her delight was in pruning and grafting and everything that belongs to the gardener’s art.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• cut back
• shave
• shear
• shorten
• snip