ivy

\ ˈī-vē

How to pronounce ivy (audio)

\

plural ivies

Definition of ivy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a widely cultivated ornamental climbing or prostrate or sometimes shrubby chiefly Eurasian vine (Hedera helix) of the ginseng family with evergreen leaves, small yellowish flowers, and black berries

2 : any of several climbing plants (such as Virginia creeper) resembling ivy especially : poison ivy

3 often capitalized : an Ivy League college

ivy

Definition of ivy (Entry 2 of 2)

Examples of ivy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun For them, Waldorf is as hopelessly old fashioned as the ivy adorning the walls of his club. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, "In a blindfold test, what would investors think of Tesla?," 14 Jan. 2020 The leaves that are available—holly, ivy and mistletoe—became obvious choices for decorations. — Anne Lawrence-mathers, Quartz, "Reinvention of Christmas decorations is a historical tradition," 24 Dec. 2019 Beyoncé literally gave birth to herself with blue ivy. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Look Like Twins in This New Photo, and Fans Are Living for It," 2 Jan. 2020 These boutique fitness companies have grown like ivy, snaking their way through strip malls and blossoming in cities. — Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz, "The boutique fitness industry’s mission to monetize community," 1 Jan. 2020 When neurophysiologist Johanna Meijer placed a running wheel in an ivy-tangled corner of her garden, wild mice scampered into it and began to run. — David Grimm, Science | AAAS, "Our favorite science news stories of the decade," 20 Dec. 2019 The earliest holiday accents, used first in Germany in the 1500s or 1600s, then here in the mid-1800s, were made from items found in nature: pine boughs, pine cones, ivy, holly, mistletoe and the like. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Holiday decorations matched to the era of your home really shine," 12 Dec. 2019 This was an OSU Alumni Association Day of Service project a few years ago, and groups go out every year to clear more acres of ivy. — oregonlive, "Utah serviceberry brought to Oregon infected with rust: Ask an expert," 9 Nov. 2019 This incredible Tudor-style home with ivy crawling up the brick exterior is for sale for $3,600,000 and is listed by LIV SIR brokers Trish Bragg and Maggie Armstrong. — Amanda Molitor, The Denver Post, "Discover some of Denver’s designer homes just in time for Denver Fashion Week," 7 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The actress, who's known for being something of an amateur equestrian, appears to be bending over to give her horse Ivy water through a tiny straw. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "We Have so Many Questions About This Photo of Selma Blair Feeding Her Horse a Juice Box," 21 June 2017

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about ivy

Dictionary Entries near ivy

Ivvavik National Park

Statistics for ivy

Last Updated

28 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ivy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ivy. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

misbegotten

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.

discreetly discretely

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.