cranberry

noun

cran·​ber·​ry ˈkran-ˌber-ē 

-ˌbe-rē,

-b(ə-)rē

1

: the red acid berry produced by some plants (such as Vaccinium oxycoccos and V. macrocarpon) of the heath family

also : a plant producing these

2

: any of various plants with a fruit that resembles a cranberry

3

: a dark red

Examples of cranberry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the sage and ink blue colorways are more traditional, the new cranberry red is perfect for holiday bedscaping. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 26 Sep. 2025

Pastry dough is laid flat and filled with pears, cranberries, orange zest, and a sugar-and-spice mix. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Sep. 2025

Sabrina Burke, a real estate agent-turned-TV personality and content creator, is going viral for her unusual addition to spaghetti and meat sauce — canned cranberry sauce. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025

Increase Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Compounds Like other berries, cranberries are antioxidant powerhouses. —Cynthia Sass, Health, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of Low German kraanbere, from kraan crane + bere berry

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cranberry

• cranberry bush
• highbush cranberry
• mountain cranberry

Rhymes for cranberry

• askari
• astbury
• azeri
• banbury
• barberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• canary
• dentary
• dewberry
• dogberry
• equerry

Kids Definition

cranberry

noun

cran·​ber·​ry ˈkran-ˌber-ē 

-b(ə-)rē

: the bright red sour berry of any of several trailing plants related to the blueberry

also : a plant producing these