picket fence

noun

plural picket fences
: a fence made of pickets
a white picket fence
Old roses scrambling up a porch or spilling over a picket fence may be reminiscent of a bygone era.Michael MacCaskey
Tall pine trees lined both sides of the road, backdropped by an occasional stone wall or picket fencePeter Gordon
often used to evoke an idealized or stereotypical image or conception of happy suburban homes in the U.S.
First we are lulled with a vision of homespun Americana: flowers, a picket fence, a fireman waving from his fire truck, a man watering his front lawn.David Ansen
"Everyone saw me on TV or read articles, and it was all about my great marriage, the white picket fence, all this success and my perfect life. But behind the scenes, it was a struggle," says [Lindsay] Vonn …Elizabeth Leonard
… grandparents who were hoping their grandchildren would be raised behind a white picket fence and full-measure suburbanites …Janet Elder
We have worked our way up the real estate food chain to the point where we have a modest version of the complete suburban package: the picket fence, the stone walls, the in-ground pool …Charles McGrath

Examples of picket fence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Alum powder, available in the spice aisle in grocery stores, helps cut flowers take in more water. 07 of 21 Grow Them Along A Picket Fence A stand-alone hydrangea shrub becomes a wild eruption of color against a white picket fence. Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 White picket fences served as borders around the field and trainers’ tables stood on the sidelines. Ken Belson Alex Welsh, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Or buy out the island The compound is surrounded by a white picket fence, as if this were just another slice of residential Americana. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 Instead, visitors to its appointment-only showroom must enter a nondescript brick building behind a white picket fence before finding themselves in what founder Don Siegel calls—and has trademarked—The Chipeta Experience. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2024 Stone's leadership philosophy transcends beyond the company's glass doors to his home's white picket fences. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 The compound is surrounded by a white picket fence, as if this were just another slice of residential Americana. Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2024 For example, one tells of the many picket fences and trails in what was once a small town long before becoming a major tourist hub of North Texas under the leadership of the very man relaying the history. Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Feb. 2024 The rectangular structure, lined with a white picket fence to add a dash of homeyness, was one of a dozen built around the greater San Francisco Bay in the late 19th century to keep boats from running aground while navigating the strait and going to and from the Mare Island Navy Yard. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'picket fence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of picket fence was in 1777

Dictionary Entries Near picket fence

Cite this Entry

“Picket fence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picket%20fence. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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