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scarlet runner

American  

noun

  1. a twining, South American bean plant, Phaseolus coccineus, having clusters of scarlet flowers.


scarlet runner British  

noun

  1. Also called: runner bean.   string bean.  a climbing perennial bean plant, Phaseolus multiflorus (or P. coccineus ), of tropical America, having scarlet flowers: widely cultivated for its long green edible pods containing edible seeds

"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

Etymology

Origin of scarlet runner

First recorded in 1780–90

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.

I put some scarlet runner beans from the Hollywood Farmers Market over it to symbolize the gathering cultures of Native American tribes.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

I would submit that a larger-caliber bean, such as a scarlet runner or corona, adds to the grandeur here.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2023

Kids gather in the leafy shade of a bean teepee to draw the scarlet runner beans they’d trained up the bamboo poles.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2016

One-half of the house and roof was covered with scarlet runner bean plants, all in full bearing, and altogether the exterior of the place was very pleasing.

From The Call Of The South 1908 by Becke, Louis

There are many humble-bees, of different species from ours, in tropical America; but none of them frequented the flowers of the scarlet runner, and to that circumstance we may safely ascribe its sterility.

From The Naturalist in Nicaragua by Belt, Thomas