cucumber

noun

cu·​cum·​ber ˈkyü-(ˌ)kəm-bər 

: the fruit of a vine (Cucumis sativus) of the gourd family cultivated as a garden vegetable

also : this vine

Illustration of cucumber

Examples of cucumber in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To balance the heartiness, crunchy cucumbers and onions join tender leaves of parsley atop each bowl. —Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Mar. 2026

Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice and top with soda water, and garnish with a mint crown stuck through the middle of a cucumber coin. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026

For peers with a pickling penchant, James says this Smitten Kitchen recipe is useful for treating water-heavy legumes, like cucumbers. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026

That’s especially true as the region gets an early warm season, allowing more finicky plants like cucumbers and melons time to get more established. —Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French cucumbre, from Latin cucumer-, cucumis

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cucumber

• cucumber mosaic
• cucumber tree
• sea cucumber
• spotted cucumber beetle
• squirting cucumber

Kids Definition

cucumber

noun

cu·​cum·​ber ˈkyü-(ˌ)kəm-bər 

: the long fleshy usually many-seeded green-skinned fruit of a vine of the gourd family that is grown as a garden vegetable

also : this vine

Medical Definition

cucumber

noun

cu·​cum·​ber ˈkyü-(ˌ)kəm-bər 

: the fruit of a vine (Cucumis sativus) of the gourd family that is cultivated as a garden vegetable and that has diuretic seeds

also : this vine