gooseberry

noun

goose·​ber·​ry ˈgüs-ˌber-ē 

ˈgüz-,

-b(ə-)rē,

 chiefly British  ˈgu̇z-

1

a

: the acid usually prickly fruit of any of several shrubs (genus Ribes, especially R. hirtellum of the U.S. and R. uva-crispa of Europe) grouped especially formerly in the saxifrage family but now often placed in a separate family (Grossulariaceae, the gooseberry family)

b

: a shrub bearing gooseberries

2

: currant sense 2

Illustration of gooseberry

• leaves and fruit

Examples of gooseberry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mail-order nurseries typically ship bare-root gooseberries and currants for spring planting. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025

The menu features a world of escabeche dishes; gooseberry sea bass crudo, and sardine empanada with piparra emulsion. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025

And the keystone for many of these cocktails is vegetables, from tomatoes and onions (yes, onions), to gooseberries and anchovies. —Emily Cappiello, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Our gooseberry salsa will hold up against any tomatillo salsa. —Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gooseberry

• Cape gooseberry
• Chinese gooseberry

Rhymes for gooseberry

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

gooseberry

noun

goose·​ber·​ry ˈgüs-ˌber-ē 

ˈgüz-

: the acid usually prickly fruit of any of several shrubs related to the currant