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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Vegetation visible along the reservoir shoreline and river channel includes tamarisk, willow, cottonwood, sedges, and various grasses.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026
"Leather on willow, country pubs and just the loveliness of England," she muses wistfully.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
More work will be carried out to prevent an invasion of willow plants which are threatening a wetland area, a council says.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 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
She pulled on her rope to get close to the willow roots.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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
He also visited Willow, a roughly $9 billion oil project by ConocoPhillips that is due to enter production in 2029 and crank out 180,000 barrels of oil a day at its peak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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
Access to honest-to-God race cars is one of the many perks of membership at the recently launched Singer Drivers Club, housed at the Willow Springs International Raceway about 80 miles north of Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Five minutes later, Willow is back, bringing Gran and Gramps with her.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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
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
The water is low, but clear, lined with the shade of willows.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
“But we were outnumbered. The train brings tourists. The blue willows bring hummingbears. Everybody should be happy. Only it doesn’t always work out that way.”
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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.
