cherry

noun cher·ry \ ˈcher-ē , ˈche-rē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of cherry

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 2

2 : a variable color averaging a moderate red

3 a : hymen

b : virginity

—

cherrylike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

See cherry defined for English-language learners

See cherry defined for kids

Examples of cherry in a Sentence

The kitchen cabinets are made of cherry.

Recent Examples of cherry from the Web

But the cherry on top of the night was the after-after-party across the way at Le Bain, which lasted well into the wee hours.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Dolce & Gabbana Closes Out Couture Celebrations With an Epic Bash," 10 Apr. 2018
Well, the National Park Service announced today the cherry blossoms in Washington are at peak bloom just now.

— Fox News, "Trump to skip White House Correspondents' Dinner again," 6 Apr. 2018
Winter is stretching into spring this year Actual snow on the ground Forecast maximum for Saturday Source: National Weather Service The storm could also coat Washington’s cherry blossoms with snow Saturday.

— brian k sullivan, Bloomberg.com, "New York, Get Ready to Wake Up to Snow-Covered City Saturday," 5 Apr. 2018
Along with robins and cherry blossoms, one of the harbingers of spring is the Kansas City Chorale’s concert at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art the day before Easter.

— patrick neas, kansascity, "UMKC opera students explore the dark and the light in works by Ravel, Poulenc | The Kansas City Star," 24 Mar. 2018
The cherry blossoms were also one of Fairchild’s triumphs, but not for their economic potential.

— daniel stone, Time, "How the Man Who Brought the Cherry Blossoms to Washington Narrowly Avoided a Diplomatic Crisis," 20 Mar. 2018
Disney Springs' Morimoto Asia will celebrate the blooming of cherry blossoms this spring with a month-long festival.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Morimoto Asia celebrates spring, cherry blossoms with month-long festival," 14 Mar. 2018
In fact, every spring and summer, Michigan's farmers rent bees by the truckload — because there aren't enough bees to do so naturally — to make sure that their apple, peach, blueberry and cherry blossoms are properly pollinated.

— frank witsil, Detroit Free Press, "One hive at a time, backyard beekeepers try saving Detroit, the world," 14 Mar. 2018
And even well beyond the peak period, D.C. will host events in honor of the cherry blossoms.

— cailey rizzo, Smithsonian, "Cherry Blossom Forecast 2018: Washington, D.C.’s Peak Bloom Is Arriving Early," 9 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of cherry

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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CHERRY Defined for English Language Learners

cherry

noun

Definition of cherry for English Language Learners

: a small round fruit that is usually red or black
: a tree on which this fruit grows
: the wood of a cherry tree

CHERRY Defined for Kids

cherry

noun cher·ry \ ˈcher-ē \

Definition of cherry for Students

plural cherries

1 : the small round yellow to deep red smooth-skinned fruit of a tree that is related to the plum tree

2 : a medium red

Medical Dictionary

cherry

noun cher·ry \ ˈcher-ē \

medical Definition of cherry

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