raspberry

noun rasp·ber·ry \ ˈraz-ˌber-ē , -b(ə-)rē \

|Updated on: 20 Jul 2018

Definition of raspberry

1 a : any of various usually black or red edible berries that are aggregate fruits consisting of numerous small drupes on a fleshy receptacle and that are usually rounder and smaller than the closely related blackberries

b : a perennial plant (genus Rubus) of the rose family that bears raspberries

[short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart]

: a sound of contempt made by protruding the tongue between the lips and expelling air forcibly to produce a vibration; broadly : an expression of disapproval or contempt

See raspberry defined for English-language learners

See raspberry defined for kids

Examples of raspberry in a Sentence

One of the children made a raspberry at him.
there were raspberries from the audience when the hapless actress kept forgetting her lines

Recent Examples of raspberry from the Web

The result is sweet, soft strawberry preserves and ripe, muddled raspberries that balance out any aggressive fusels.

— SFChronicle.com, "The beers and whiskeys of Seven Stills," 1 July 2018
For the Raspberry Campari: 1 container raspberries 1 bottle (750 ml) Campari In a large sealed container, steep berries in the Campari for two weeks.

— natalie b. compton, GQ, "Three New Spritzes For Your Summer Day Drinking Needs," 2 June 2018
Customers can stop in any time to sample the top four flavors of red velvet, chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon and white chocolate raspberry, Feldman said.

— bob bong, Daily Southtown, "Comings & Goings: Nothing Bundt Cakes, McAlister's Deli expanding to Mokena," 29 May 2018
Bossy has been ousted by Risqué, a deeper raspberry red.

— devon abelman, Allure, "7 Ways Huda Beauty's New Rose Gold Remastered Eye Palette Is Different From the Original," 25 May 2018
The man who once made a dessert called floating island for first lady Nancy Reagan — three scoops of poached raspberry meringue on a sea of vanilla crème anglaise — uses a feeding tube for nourishment.

— michael e. ruane, Washington Post, "ALS robbed this chef of his ability to eat, but not to teach," 11 May 2018
California’s raspberry industry alone lost nearly $40 million in revenue between 2009 and 2014.

— roni dengler, Science | AAAS, "Can a genetic weapon combat one of the world’s major crop destroyers?," 23 Apr. 2018
Nobody in town gave away more tomatoes raspberries cucumbers or squash.

— courant.com, "Jane C. Powers," 5 Apr. 2018
When are tart cherries, blueberries and raspberries ready to harvest?

— kevin ambrose, Washington Post, "It’s a June thing: Cherries, blueberries and raspberries are all ripe right now," 28 June 2018

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