any plant having a long, slender stem that trails or creeps on the ground or climbs by winding itself about a support or holding fast with tendrils or claspers.
the stem of any such plant.
a grape plant.
any of various plants, esp the grapevine, having long flexible stems that creep along the ground or climb by clinging to a support by means of tendrils, leafstalks, etc
the stem of such a plant
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French vi ( g ) ne < Latin vīnea vine(yard), equivalent to vīn ( um ) wine + -ea, feminine of -eus -eous
A vine is a plant that spreads by creeping along the ground or climbing up some kind of support. Grapes are one example of a vine, and ivy is another. The famous children's book Madeline takes place "in an old house in Paris that was covered with vines." Vines naturally trail along or climb trees, fences, and houses. The root of vine means "wine," and the original definition was "plant bearing grapes for making wine."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Because that is what we want. But we don’t invest in staff because we have a shortage. ... We can’t have joy and wellness if your people are drying on the vine because they’re exhausted.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
We do need to eliminate poverty for older Americans, but the answer lies in strengthening SSI, which has been allowed to wither on the vine.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
Monk fruit is a perennial vine native to China and a member of the gourd family.
From Science Daily • Jan. 14, 2026
So campers are carted through dusty fields to pick grapes off the vine, weather permitting, and to watch harvesting machines shake loose the precious grapes at night, preparing them for winemaking.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
Dicey let go of the vine in exasperation and ran to help.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
