ivy

noun \ ˈī-vē \

Definition of ivy

plural ivies

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

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Recent Examples of ivy from the Web

Wedding Bouquet: Princess Diana Princess Diana's cascading bouquet of gardenias, stephanotis, orchids, lily of the valley, roses, freesia, veronica, spider lilies, and ivy reportedly weighed two kilos (ahem, that's a whopping four pounds!).

— michelle darrisaw, Southern Living, "Every Royal Bride Has Carried a Sprig of This One Flower in Her Bouquet," 13 Oct. 2017
Try ivy, which spreads quickly; Virginia creeper; or wisteria.

— david walters, The Cut, "How to Use Plants to Make Your Tiny Apartment Seem Bigger," 24 Oct. 2017
In the courtyard, thick shrubs and ivy were pulled away from the rock waterfall, which will soon be lighted so that more events can be held outside.

— jeffery c. mays, New York Times, "Harlem School of the Arts, Once Shuttered and in Debt, Now Dreams Big," 18 Oct. 2017
The large, enclosed, year-round courtyard, filled with lush palms, slowly climbing ivy, and stately fiddleleaf figs, was inspired by the interior courtyards common throughout Andalusia in Spain.

— joseph hernandez, chicagotribune.com, "1st look at Beatnik, opening Wednesday in West Town," 31 Aug. 2017
From the red wig to the green ivy eye accents, Rita Ora covered all of her bases for her Poison Ivy costume at the KISS House Party Live in London. 5.

— marissa desantis, Teen Vogue, "Halloween 2017: Best Celebrity Hair and Makeup Looks," 30 Oct. 2017
The ball made it to the Wrigley Field ivy; both runners wound up standing on third base, but the umpires ruled Almora’s hit a ground rule double.

— jay jaffe, SI.com, "Three Thoughts on the Dodgers' Commanding 3-0 NLCS Lead," 18 Oct. 2017
Mine was held together by a zigzag network of hairline fractures, the way a tight wrapping of ivy can sometimes hold together a rotting fence.

— heather chaplin, The Cut, "Me, You, and the Fantasy I Projected Onto You," 1 Sep. 2017
Government roots are ivy grown in Daniel Golden’s Spy Schools (Henry Holt).

— sloane crosley, Vanities, "What to Read This Fall: Naomi Alderman’s The Power, Amy Tan’s Where the Past Begins, and More," 22 Oct. 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.