petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈtün-yə 

-ˈtyün-

: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family that are commonly grown as annuals for their fragrant, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers

Illustration of petunia

Examples of petunia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plants that benefit from shearing a couple of times during the growing season are thread-leaf coreopsis, common petunias, catmint, and salvia. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 July 2025

Dahlias, petunias, geraniums, and roses may not be looking their best. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 11 July 2025

Recreate the look with roses, hanging baskets of petunias, trellises, and pollinator plants that blend beauty with sustainability. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2025

Some of these flowering plants include bee balms, columbine flowers, daylilies, lupines and petunias. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petɨ́ma

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for petunia

• dyspareunia

Kids Definition

petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈt(y)ün-yə 

: any of a genus of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family widely grown for their showy funnel-shaped flowers