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

While the classic pairing elsewhere may be schnitzel with sides of potato and cucumber salads, Gutierrez likes to pair Spätlese with dishes such as oysters with melon granita and halibut with mussel reduction. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2025

Last year, Harrison Bardwell, the farm’s ninth-generation proprietor, was selling thousands of pounds of cucumbers at a time, transportable by pallet and forklift. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025

The hope now is that the pies, carrots, cucumbers and head of lettuce placed on top of the crate persuade the Holliday Hog to turn himself in. —Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025

Wahlberg, still sleek at 54, and cool as a dozen cucumbers, comes on like the more natural version of what Tom Cruise tried to bring off (and never quite did, in my estimation) in the Jack Reacher films. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025

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