plum

noun, often attributive

\ ˈpləm

Definition of plum

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : any of various trees and shrubs (genus Prunus) of the rose family with globular to oval smooth-skinned edible fruits that are drupes with oblong seeds also : the fruit

2 : any of various trees with edible fruits resembling plums also : the fruit

3a : a raisin when used in desserts

b : sugarplum

4 : something superior or very desirable especially : something desirable given in return for a favor

5 : a dark reddish purple

Plum

geographical name

\ ˈpləm

Definition of Plum (Entry 2 of 2)

borough in southwestern Pennsylvania that is a suburb of Pittsburgh population 27,126

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Examples of plum in a Sentence

Noun

a bowl of peaches and plums Dried plums are also called “prunes.” That deal is a real plum for the contractor.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

When is the best time to prune a plum, and what is their life expectancy? — Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, "Cotton root rot lurks to attack vulnerable plants," 12 July 2019 Mexican plums are graceful for sunny or shady residential gardens, have interesting exfoliating bark, sweet smelling white spring flowers, and a pleasantly unusual orange fall color. — Howard Garrett, Dallas News, "Not big on big trees? These little ones grow well in sun and shade," 9 July 2019 Botanically, the olive is a drupe, as are cherries, almonds, and plums — a fair amount of flesh and a stone-hard pit. — Bill St. John, The Denver Post, "Marinating olives, Sicilian style and simply," 12 June 2019 Commissioners on the authority can earn as much as $170,000 per year in what many insiders consider as a plum, patronage job with lucrative benefits that Republicans said could push the package to more than $240,000. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "Senate approves two-year, $43 billion state budget; Gov. Lamont expected to sign," 5 June 2019 But fresh produce from California growers is still coming in this week, and still being sold at Rasmussen’s signature low prices: Santa Rosa plums for 99 cents a pound, white peaches for $1.49 and plumcots and apriums for $1.99. — Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, "Milk Pail Market counts down to closing day in Mountain View," 26 June 2019 And whereas most mainstream Republicans at first disowned Mr Trump, thus ruling themselves out of working for him, moderate Tories are flocking to Mr Johnson’s banner, in the hope of landing a plum job in his cabinet. — The Economist, "Which Boris would Britain get?," 20 June 2019 All of that is designed about maintaining his leadership of North Korea and his family's plum position there. — CBS News, "Transcript: Anna Fifield talks with Michael Morell on "Intelligence Matters"," 19 June 2019 Campaign donors are often rewarded with plum ambassador posts. — Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, "Kelly Craft, Trump choice for UN ambassador, to face questions on climate change, coal industry ties," 19 June 2019

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