hackberry

noun

hack·​ber·​ry ˈhak-ˌber-ē How to pronounce hackberry (audio)
: any of a genus (Celtis) of trees and shrubs of the elm family with small often edible berries
also : its wood

Examples of hackberry 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.
The trail begins across 89A from Manzanita Campground and scrambles through woods sprinkled with oak, walnut, hackberry, and later on, bigtooth maple. Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025 Actually, a bumper crop of Asian woolly hackberry aphids is floating through yards, clinging to trees, and even landing in people's laps. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025 The area will have a garden path with a variety of hackberry and sycamore trees, black-eyed Susans, and autumn joy plants. Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025 Luna moths need sweet gum and hickory, and question mark butterflies need hackberry trees. Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for hackberry

Word History

Etymology

alteration of hagberry a cherry resembling the chokecherry

First Known Use

1779, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hackberry was in 1779

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hackberry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hackberry. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

hackberry

noun
hack·​ber·​ry ˈhak-ˌber-ē How to pronounce hackberry (audio)
1
: any of a genus of trees and shrubs that are related to the elms and have small often edible berries
2
: the wood of a hackberry

More from Merriam-Webster on hackberry

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