cherry

noun

cher·​ry ˈcher-ē 

ˈche-rē

plural cherries

1

a

: any of numerous trees and shrubs (genus Prunus) of the rose family that bear pale yellow to deep red or blackish smooth-skinned drupes enclosing a smooth seed and that include some cultivated for their fruits or ornamental flowers compare sour cherry, sweet cherry

b

: the fruit of a cherry

c

: the reddish-brown wood of a cherry

especially : black cherry sense 2

2

: a variable color averaging a moderate red

3

informal

a

: hymen

b

: virginity

4

informal : the burning end of a lit cigarette or cigar

I'm horrified: Dag is burning holes in the roof of the car with the cherry of his cigarette.

—Douglas Coupland

"Oh lord. Be quiet and maybe he won't find me. Put out your cigarette, Ryder, he'll see the cherry."

—Julie Buntin

cherrylike

ˈcher-ē-ˌlīk 

ˈche-rē-

adjective

Examples of cherry in a Sentence

The kitchen cabinets are made of cherry.

Recent Examples on the Web

The cherry blossom flower extract also has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties that make for a calming masking experience. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023

Sablefish with almond dashi, salsa macha, and rainier cherries. —Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023

Gypsy Sport castings and fashion shows became — and remain — legendary, cherry picking models from a diversity of sexualities, genders, ethnicities, walks of life. —Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023

That's when travelers can find vivid autumnal leaves or, on the other hand, the iconic cherry blossoms that seem straight out of a postcard. —Danielle Demetriou, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2023

Earlier this summer, the brewery released a limited-edition Door County Cherry Soda made exclusively with Montmorency cherry juice supplied by Cherry De-Lite in Forestville. —Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2023

The film shares it too, occasionally pausing its storytelling to take in the scenery, the breeze, the interior hum of a luxury car in mild traffic or, with a nod to the touristic inevitability of the image, the cotton-candy blur of cherry blossom from a train window. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 4 Sep. 2023

And in other parts of Italy, farmer associations have said that heat waves, floods and hailstones the size of clementines damaged local melon, watermelon, cherry and wine grape crops. —Alessio Perrone, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2023

This clip is fun and fruit-driven, with a single line of radiant cherries. —Jasmine Gomez, Women's Health, 29 Aug. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English chery, from Anglo-French cherise, cirice (taken as a plural), from Late Latin ceresia, from Latin cerasus cherry tree, from Greek kerasos

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cherry

• cherry bomb
• bing cherry
• cherry tomato
• black cherry
• cherry-pick
• cherry picker
• ground-cherry
• sweet cherry
• sour cherry
• Jerusalem cherry

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• cherry bomb
• bing cherry
• cherry tomato
• black cherry
• cherry-pick
• cherry picker
• ground-cherry
• sweet cherry
• sour cherry
• Jerusalem cherry

See More

Kids Definition

cherry

noun

cher·​ry ˈcher-ē 

plural cherries

1

a

: any of numerous trees and shrubs that are related to the roses and have rather small pale yellow to deep blackish red smooth-skinned fruits

b

: the fruit of a cherry

c

: the reddish brown wood of a cherry

2

: a medium red

Etymology

Middle English chery "a cherry," from early French cherise "the cherry" (mistaken as being a plural), derived from Latin cerasus "cherry tree"

Medical Definition

cherry

noun

cher·​ry ˈcher-ē 

plural cherries

1

: any of numerous trees and shrubs (genus Prunus) of the rose family that bear pale yellow to deep red or blackish smooth-skinned drupes enclosing a smooth seed and that belong to any of several varieties including some cultivated for their fruits or ornamental flowers

2

: the fruit of a cherry