bamboo

noun, often attributive bam·boo \ (ˌ)bam-ˈbü , ˈbam-ˌ \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Definition of bamboo

plural bamboos

: any of various woody or arborescent grasses (as of the genera Bambusa, Arundinaria, and Dendrocalamus of the subfamily Bambusoideae) of tropical and temperate regions having hollow stems, thick rhizomes, and shoots that are used for food; also : the jointed stem of bamboo used especially for building, furniture, and utensils

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Examples of bamboo in a Sentence

Bamboo grows in the grove near the house.
We cut down some bamboos.

Recent Examples of bamboo from the Web

Wrapped in bamboo or lotus leaves, the rice is mixed with flavors that vary by region.

— casey quackenbush, Time, "Here's What to Know About Asia's Annual Dragon Boat Festival," 18 June 2018
At the bottom of the mass of people and bamboo and fabric was Samen Kondorura, Berta's 40-year-old son.

— cleve r. wootson jr., Washington Post, "A man was crushed to death beneath his mother’s coffin," 18 June 2018
The sheet masks are $7 each, made with bamboo, and come in three different varieties: Aqua (hydrating), Tea Tree (mattifying), and Honey (soothing).

— sophie wirt, Allure, "Exclusive: Celebrity Facialist Georgia Louise Launches At-Home Galvanic Current Device," 7 June 2018
Certainly poisonous plants, like certain types of lilies, daisies and azaleas, pose a much bigger threat than nontoxic plants, like roses, bamboo or baby’s breath.

— michelle higgins, sacbee, "Limit the impact that dogs, cats unleash on orderliness | The Sacramento Bee," 25 May 2018
But her furry co-star was in a nature preserve half a world away, presumably looking for bamboo.

— tom avril, Philly.com, "In 'Pandas' film, Drexel team helps release artificially bred bears into the wild," 5 June 2018
The bamboo carts remain, but these days its cargo is mostly tourists riding the tracks for fun.

— eli meixler / phnom penh, Time, "Riding the Rails: Phnom Penh's Airport Train Is a Milestone for Cambodia," 4 June 2018
Sheng will not see the British bankers in their navy suits, nor the tall Australians at Stanley market shopping the stalls for silk slippers and bamboo plants.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "Fluid Mechanics" by Mabel Yu," 2 June 2018
Citrus picks will switch from plastic to bamboo starting July 16.

— nancy trejos, USA TODAY, "The travel industry goes green: Plastic straws are no longer welcome," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bamboo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.