prune

noun

\ ˈprün

Definition of prune

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a plum dried or capable of drying without fermentation

prune

verb

pruned; pruning

Definition of prune (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter pruned the text prune the budget

b : to remove as superfluous prune away all ornamentation

2 : to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth prune the branches

intransitive verb

: to cut away what is unwanted or superfluous

Other Words from prune Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about prune

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of prune in a Sentence

Verb

She carefully pruned the hedge. Those trees need to be pruned every year. The students were asked to prune their essays. The budget needs to be pruned.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Add the garlic, capers, prunes and olives and mix to combine. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Slow Cooker Chicken Marbella," 15 Nov. 2017 The rest of the colors are deep—black, brown, prune, but very rich—and some moire, which is quite decadent but not rich in the traditional way. — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "Alessandra Facchinetti’s Incredibly Lavish Costumes for Verdi’s Don Carlo Are Operatic Couture," 27 Oct. 2018 Add the chicken, nestling it among the olives and prunes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Slow Cooker Chicken Marbella," 15 Nov. 2017 Butter the inside of the baking dishes and place a half prune in the bottom of each one, cut side up. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "7 Alternative Thanksgiving Desserts from the Vogue Archive," 16 Nov. 2018 The prunes were a lo-fi addition to a roster of gut health aids that included fiber cubes from France, herbal teas, and various drugstore stimulants. — Julie Schott, The Cut, "If You Want Clear Skin, Look at Your Poop," 19 Mar. 2018 There are white pails full of glistening fillings, poppy seed and prune, strawberry and apricot, even bowls full of chocolate chips. — Lynn Ischay, cleveland.com, "Hamantaschen adds sweetness to Purim celebrations (photos)," 28 Feb. 2018 Drain the prunes, blot dry with paper towels, chop them, and set aside. — Adam Ried, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipes: Switch it up with lamb burgers instead of beef," 13 July 2018 The real nutritious surprise is what’s inside: prunes. — Patricia Bannan, Fox News, "10 desserts you won't believe are actually healthy," 8 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

These stunning miniatures are like bonsai trees pruned with a switchblade. — Sam Sacks, WSJ, "Fiction: A Year in the Life of a Short Story," 28 Dec. 2018 Of course, months later, to help prune back an overpopulation of destroyers sniping battleships, World of Warships added more cruisers with radar. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "World of Warships dives deep for new players, adding submarines to popular naval combat game," 18 Sep. 2018 When is the best time to prune and fertilize the tree? — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Most tomatoes won't grow in summer in Florida," 7 July 2018 Undocumented workers are arrested, detained in federal sweeps Oakland mayor’s warning condemned by administration, officials Maria’s husband spent the past 15 years pruning citrus trees on farms across California’s Central Valley. — Kartikay Mehrotra, Bloomberg.com, "California Fruit Will ‘Die on the Vine’ After ICE Raids, Labor Warns," 2 Mar. 2018 The main business of Hoppe Tree Service is planting large trees, pruning small and large trees, tree removal and plant health care. — Darryl Enriquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Buzz: Urban Wood Lab mill opening in West Allis," 1 Feb. 2018 Control by limiting pruning cuts and removing diseased branches. — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, "Grow Healthy Food By Identifying + Treating These Common Plant Diseases," 21 July 2015 There’s a process called pruning [the process of removing neurons that are damaged or degraded to improve the brain’s networking capacity]. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Is our constant use of digital technologies affecting our brain health? We asked 11 experts.," 29 Nov. 2018 Both job orders for Trump Vineyard Estates say the primary tasks include planting and cultivating vines, adding grow tubes, and pruning grape vines. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "Trump Winery is Attempting to Hire Foreign Workers," 22 Mar. 2017

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

History and Etymology for prune

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, plum, from Latin prunum — more at plum

Verb

Middle English prouynen, probably ultimately from Old French prooignier, alteration of *porrooignier, from por- completely (from Latin pro-) + rooignier to cut, prune, from Vulgar Latin *rotundiare to cut around, from Latin rotundus round — more at pro-, rotund