Synonyms
Examples of prune in a Sentence
Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Add the prunes and the apples to the pot, and stir to incorporate.
—Jonathan Miles, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023
France, despite its more robust culinary tradition of cooking with prunes, placed a distant second, gobbling up about 14,000 metric tons.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2023
Add chicken to bowl of prune mixture; toss gently to coat.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
As with common camellia, prune soon after its last blossoms drop.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2023
Pour remaining marinade into dish, allowing prunes, olives and capers to rest around the chicken.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023
Many taste hints of balsamic, prune, or even dark caramel.
—Christina Manian, Rdn, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2023
Normally the best time prune is after it is done flowering.
—oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023
Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2023
After pruning, spray fruit trees to kill overwintering pests and diseases.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2023
Recently, Borromeo has been spending more time up here training and pruning his bonsai creations.
—Nick Haramis Ricardo Labougle, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
For much of the film, family members busy themselves with frantic preparation, employing various avoidance tactics — pruning bonsai trees, inviting spiritual healers and speaking in code — to skirt the truth of Tona’s condition.
—Akiva Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
Anything that’s too remotely connected to that trunk got pruned.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 7 Nov. 2023
For all these reasons, pruning in the dormant season is best not only for shrubs but also for trees such as oaks and maples.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 17 Sep. 2023
Match that height to the mature plant height. Plants that grow wider and/or taller than what there’s room for dooms the plant — and you — to forever pruning.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2023
Walsh had an ambitious goal: develop apples that were heat-tolerant but also fire blight-resistant, and on trees short enough to be easily pruned or harvested from the ground.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prune.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French, plum, from Latin prunum — more at plum
Verb
Middle English prouynen, probably ultimately from Old French prooignier, alteration of *porrooignier, from por- completely (from Latin pro-) + rooignier to cut, prune, from Vulgar Latin *rotundiare to cut around, from Latin rotundus round — more at pro-, rotund
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near prune
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prune. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
prune
1 of 2 nounprune
2 of 2 verb
Medical Definition
prune
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on prune
Nglish: Translation of prune for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of prune for Arabic Speakers
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