spruced; sprucing
: to make spruce
—often used with up
: to make oneself spruce
spruce up a bit
plural spruces also spruce
1
a
: any of a genus (Picea) of evergreen trees of the pine family with a conical head of dense foliage, flat or 4-sided needles, pendulous cones, and soft light wood
b
: any of several coniferous trees (such as Douglas fir) of similar habit
2
: the wood of a spruce
Synonyms
Examples of spruce in a Sentence
Adjective
He looked very spruce in his new suit.
a slim, spruce man in a tailor-made business suit
Recent Examples on the Web
Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Backyard Architectural Interest Homeowners are investing big time in their outdoor space big time this year, sprucing it up for summer and fall entertaining.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Dark, Monochrome Exteriors Homeowners are taking a paintbrush to their front and backyards to spruce them up and give them a sleek, contemporary look.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Between its six cool colors from fuchsia to spruce, you’re bound to find the perfect Smartwool base layer for your travels.
—Marissa Miller, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2023
Luckily, paint is one of the quickest and easiest ways to spruce it up.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2023
Finally, Welch spruces each project up, delivering finishing touches and an eye for aesthetic.
—Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2023
Like sellers getting ready to list their home and sprucing it up with fresh paint and new throw pillows, Subway seems to be primping in the hopes of finding a buyer.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 6 July 2023
The deal put a value of $2 billion on 245 Park Avenue, with plans to invest more to spruce it up.
—James MacKintosh, WSJ, 30 June 2023
Roman Dial, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2022
The interior is built from spruce wood planks and beech dowels, which means that residents can reassemble walls, dividers, counters, storage and furniture as needed to transform the space.
—CNN, 27 May 2021
Enthusiasm, thoughtful analysis and humor were part of her teaching style: plasticity of the upper body, spruce footwork and imaginative theatricality were her objectives.
—Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 24 July 2019
While spruce pollen is irritating to local residents, the massive pollen release could be a boon to the region’s forests, which have been decimated in recent years by beetle and aphid infestations brought on by rising temperatures.
—The Economist, 4 July 2019
The site comprises deserts, riparian forests and floodplains of the Ili River, deciduous and spruce forests as well as salt marshes.
—National Geographic, 14 June 2017
The site comprises deserts, riparian forests and floodplains of the Ili River, deciduous and spruce forests as well as salt marshes.
—Alex Treadway, National Geographic, 14 June 2017
At this point, there’s nothing stopping the spruce beetle.
—Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2017
A spruce hen aggressively defended her chicks from competitors.
—Alaska Dispatch News, 30 June 2017
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Pine, fir and spruce trees can be much more than decorations, though: Their needles can be repurposed as refreshing teas, infused salt and even a body scrub.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
Banks revealed that the most popular trees are the Douglas fir and the blue spruce.
—Eric Noll, ABC News, 7 Dec. 2023
Tencel Tencel, also known as lyocell, is a fully biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp, typically sourced from eucalyptus, beech, or spruce trees which are solvents.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 31 Oct. 2023
This fragrant wax melt features the aroma of pine, spruce, cedarwood, and a touch of cinnamon.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Dec. 2023
Near the back of the store, a towering artificial spruce tree dappled with fake snow was being adorned with fungi ornaments of various shapes in colors like red, green, purple, pink and aquamarine.
—Christopher Barnard, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
While Christmas trees come in all different shapes and sizes, there are also several different varieties — like pine, spruce, cypress — as well.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
This faux spruce option from Three Posts extends to 108 inches long and is pre-lit with 50 LED lights.
—Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
Verb
The warning spurred the sign’s first real restoration: The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spruced it up and, crucially, removed the last four letters.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023
Backyard Architectural Interest Homeowners are investing big time in their outdoor space big time this year, sprucing it up for summer and fall entertaining.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Dark, Monochrome Exteriors Homeowners are taking a paintbrush to their front and backyards to spruce them up and give them a sleek, contemporary look.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023
Between its six cool colors from fuchsia to spruce, you’re bound to find the perfect Smartwool base layer for your travels.
—Marissa Miller, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2023
Luckily, paint is one of the quickest and easiest ways to spruce it up.
—Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2023
Finally, Welch spruces each project up, delivering finishing touches and an eye for aesthetic.
—Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2023
Like sellers getting ready to list their home and sprucing it up with fresh paint and new throw pillows, Subway seems to be primping in the hopes of finding a buyer.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 6 July 2023
The deal put a value of $2 billion on 245 Park Avenue, with plans to invest more to spruce it up.
—James MacKintosh, WSJ, 30 June 2023
Adjective
For the last four years, the National Science Foundation has funded a collaborative project among the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), Amherst College, and Alaska Pacific University (APU) to study how spruce forests shift northward.
—Roman Dial, Outside Online, 15 Sep. 2022
The interior is built from spruce wood planks and beech dowels, which means that residents can reassemble walls, dividers, counters, storage and furniture as needed to transform the space.
—CNN, 27 May 2021
Enthusiasm, thoughtful analysis and humor were part of her teaching style: plasticity of the upper body, spruce footwork and imaginative theatricality were her objectives.
—Alastair MacAulay, New York Times, 24 July 2019
While spruce pollen is irritating to local residents, the massive pollen release could be a boon to the region’s forests, which have been decimated in recent years by beetle and aphid infestations brought on by rising temperatures.
—The Economist, 4 July 2019
The site comprises deserts, riparian forests and floodplains of the Ili River, deciduous and spruce forests as well as salt marshes.
—National Geographic, 14 June 2017
The site comprises deserts, riparian forests and floodplains of the Ili River, deciduous and spruce forests as well as salt marshes.
—Alex Treadway, National Geographic, 14 June 2017
At this point, there’s nothing stopping the spruce beetle.
—Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2017
A spruce hen aggressively defended her chicks from competitors.
—Alaska Dispatch News, 30 June 2017
Noun
The wretch in question has cut down one of the speaker’s spruce trees without his permission.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2023
Pine, fir and spruce trees can be much more than decorations, though: Their needles can be repurposed as refreshing teas, infused salt and even a body scrub.
—Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023
Banks revealed that the most popular trees are the Douglas fir and the blue spruce.
—Eric Noll, ABC News, 7 Dec. 2023
Tencel Tencel, also known as lyocell, is a fully biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp, typically sourced from eucalyptus, beech, or spruce trees which are solvents.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 31 Oct. 2023
This fragrant wax melt features the aroma of pine, spruce, cedarwood, and a touch of cinnamon.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Dec. 2023
Near the back of the store, a towering artificial spruce tree dappled with fake snow was being adorned with fungi ornaments of various shapes in colors like red, green, purple, pink and aquamarine.
—Christopher Barnard, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
While Christmas trees come in all different shapes and sizes, there are also several different varieties — like pine, spruce, cypress — as well.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
This faux spruce option from Three Posts extends to 108 inches long and is pre-lit with 50 LED lights.
—Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spruce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
perhaps from obsolete English Spruce leather leather imported from Prussia
Noun
obsolete Spruce Prussia, from Middle English, alteration of Pruce, from Anglo-French
First Known Use
Verb
1594, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Adjective
1598, in the meaning defined above
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of spruce was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing spruce
Dictionary Entries Near spruce
Cite this Entry
“Spruce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spruce. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
spruce
1 of 3 verb
spruced; sprucing
: to make or make oneself spruce
spruce up a room
spruce up a bit before going out to dinner
spruce
2 of 3 adjective
sprucer; sprucest
: neat or stylish in appearance
sprucely
adverb
spruceness
noun
spruce
3 of 3 noun1
: any of a genus of usually pyramid-shaped evergreen trees that are related to the pines and have soft light wood
2
: the wood of a spruce
More from Merriam-Webster on spruce
Nglish: Translation of spruce for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of spruce for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spruce
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