any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, characterized by narrow, lance-shaped leaves and dense catkins bearing small flowers, many species having tough, pliable twigs or branches used for wickerwork, etc.
the wood of any of these trees.
Informal. something, especially a cricket bat, made of willow wood.
Also called willower, willy. a machine consisting essentially of a cylinder armed with spikes revolving within a spiked casing, for opening and cleaning cotton or other fiber.
any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds
the whitish wood of certain of these trees
something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres
First recorded before 900; Middle English wilwe, variant of wilghe, Old English welig; cognate with Old Saxon wilgia, Dutch wilg, Low German wilge
A willow is a tree with long, flexible branches and very small leaves. If you're looking for a picnic spot, the wide, green canopy of a willow provides great shade on a hot summer day. Most willow trees grow near water or in damp locations, as their roots soak up great quantities of moisture and can be used to protect the banks of rivers and streams from erosion. Willow branches are also commonly woven together to make baskets. A "weeping willow" has distinctive, graceful branches that curve down toward the ground.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She played a full summer for Hampshire, solely contributing with willow in hand.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
According to the new analysis, that figure was derived from a statistical model that used plant height to both calculate willow volume and predict it.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
A fenced enclosure was constructed, a pond created and willow planted - and a ditch was "re-wiggled" to restore more natural hydrological flow and habitat complexity.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
By late afternoon, the final miles carry me east toward the Colorado River, where it meanders past willow and cottonwood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
What I recall most about that last day was swinging off the willow tree into the pond.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Led by Susan Angelo, Jan Wikstrom and Ellen Geer, this ensemble, under the direction of Willow Geer, diverts and distracts from the mustier aspects of Coward’s style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Seconds after her aspirant boyfriend, Bear, snaps the One Wish Willow to make her fall in love with him, she walks back out of her house, a little sheepish and newly smitten.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Willow, Xander and the rest of the Sunnydale Scoobies discover in the show’s sixth season, the world starts to crumble around them.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Katz, who takes his $3 million Gordon Murray T.50 on grocery runs and has driven on private racetracks, said demand for places like Willow Springs is driven by this new generation of wealthy car enthusiasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
“Kneelers,” said Willow, with a snort of contempt.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Among them, the height to volume model was applied to heavily browsed willows with unusual growth forms, even though the model was not designed for such distorted shapes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
In Yellowstone National Park, their return has been praised with reducing the overabundant elk population and allowing decimated trees such as willows and aspen to recover, which subsequently brought the return of beavers and songbirds.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
The vast glass-domed exhibition space became a wonderland, with pink weeping willows and oversized toadstools adorning the runway.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
The vast Grand Palais exhibition space in central Paris was transformed into an enchanted forest populated by giant mushrooms and pink weeping willows as stars from Nicole Kidman to Dua Lipa looked on.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
In the midst of it there wound lazily a dark river of brown water, bordered with ancient willows, arched over with willows, blocked with fallen willows, and flecked with thousands of faded willow-leaves.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
