Synonyms of prune

prune

verb

as in to shave

to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument

pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shave
• cut
• trim
• mow
• pare
• crop
• clip
• snip
• bob
• cut back
• shear
• nip
• dock
• lop (off)
• poll
• whittle
• shorten
• stump
• curtail
• pinch
• skive
• manicure

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• extend
• lengthen
• elongate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prune

Joanna Glovinsky runs a local fruit tree pruning and education company called Fruitstitute. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

That effectively restricted membership of the imperial family to immediate relatives of then Emperor Hirohito, pruning 11 collateral branches, and setting the scene for the current shortage. — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Plant Bulbs For Year-Round Color Not into pruning, watering, and fussing over plants? — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026

But this year the shrub and tree forms, pruned and unpruned, are full of colorful clusters of blooms. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2026