berry

1 of 2

noun

plural berries
1
a
: a pulpy and usually edible fruit (such as a strawberry, raspberry, or checkerberry) of small size irrespective of its structure
b
: a simple fruit (such as a grape, blueberry, tomato, or cucumber) with a pulpy or fleshy pericarp
c
: the dry seed of some plants (such as wheat)
2
: an egg of a fish or lobster

berry

2 of 2

verb

berried; berrying

intransitive verb

1
: to bear or produce berries
a berrying shrub
2
: to gather or seek berries

Examples of berry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The berry, which is grown on 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares), was one of the state’s top 10 commodities in 2025. — Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 More Healthy Cooking From Bon Appétit Learn to love cottage cheese and hit your protein goals with this berry smoothie. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026 Over at the adjacent bar, house cocktails pair the local Gin Pascasio (from nearby El Calafate) with a tincture of calafate berries for a G&T with the flavor of the land. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 Frozen blueberries sold at Publix were originally recalled, and then the recall expanded to include frozen berries sold at Walmart, The Charlotte Observer previously reported. — Eva Flowe october 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for berry

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English berye, from Old English berie; akin to Old High German beri berry

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1780, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of berry was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Berry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berry. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

berry

1 of 2 noun
plural berries
1
: a small pulpy and usually edible fruit (as a strawberry or raspberry)
2
: a fruit (as a grape, blueberry, tomato, or cucumber) that develops from a single ovary and has the wall of the ripened ovary pulpy
3
: the dry seed of some plants (as coffee)
berrylike
-ē-ˌlīk
adjective

berry

2 of 2 verb
berried; berrying
1
: to bear or produce berries
2
: to gather or look for berries
go berrying

Geographical Definition

Berry

geographical name

former province of central France; capital Bourges

More from Merriam-Webster on berry

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!