sunflower

American  

[suhn-flou-er] / ˈsʌnˌflaʊ ər /

noun

1. any of various composite plants of the genus Helianthus, as H. annuus, having showy, yellow-rayed flower heads often 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide, and edible seeds that yield an oil with a wide variety of uses: the state flower of Kansas.

2. Also called aster.  Furniture. a conventionalized flower motif carved in the center panels of a Connecticut chest.

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sunflower British  

/ ˈsʌnˌflaʊə /

noun

1. any of several American plants of the genus Helianthus, esp H. annuus, having very tall thick stems, large flower heads with yellow rays, and seeds used as food, esp for poultry: family Asteraceae (composites) See also Jerusalem artichoke

2. the oil extracted from sunflower seeds, used as a salad oil, in the manufacture of margarine, etc

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Etymology

Origin of sunflower

First recorded in 1555–65; translation of Latin flōs sōlis “flower of the sun”

Example Sentences

A teacher hoisted a huge sunflower made from dozens of balloons -- the plant's name in Mandarin is a homophone for a Chinese idiom about success.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Bad Bunny tickets, an ABC subscription and a bag of sunflower seeds.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

To start, each box contains sunflower lecithin, which is extracted from sunflower oil, a seed oil.

From Salon • May 23, 2026

Through a partnership with sustainability brand ChoViva—owned by Germany’s Planet A Foods—it created a product formulated from fermented and roasted sunflower seeds and oats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

One of the sunflower seeds hopped across the slate tiles of the front walk.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly