Illustration of saguaro
plural saguaros
: a tall columnar usually sparsely-branched cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) of dry areas of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico that bears white flowers and a scaly reddish edible fruit and that may attain a height of up to 50 feet (16 meters)
called also giant cactus
Did you know?
Venture into the Arizonan desert on a May or June morning and you may see the saguaro in bloom. For many of our readers (such as those living in Arizona and southeastern California), this sight - and the word saguaro - won't be anything new. Or perhaps you know this emblem of all things Southwestern simply as the "giant cactus." The word saguaro originated in Ópata, a language spoken by peoples of the Sonoran Desert region of Mexico. It came into English by way of the Spanish spoken by the Mexican settlers of the American West. The very saguaros we see today may well have been around when the word was first noted, some 150 years ago - this amazing cactus can live for up to 200 years.
Examples of saguaro in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s no better place to live for easy access to Saguaro National Park and Saguaro National Park West, home to over two million iconic saguaro cacti.
—
Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2024
Far from the ocean, fiercer wildfires fueled by invasive grasses are putting the giant saguaro, that icon of the American West, at greaterrisk.
—Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 13 July 2024
Proceeds from Big Cactus went to restoring land and replanting saguaro cactus after a fire in the Tonto National Forest.
—Jack Armstrong, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
Yes, we're known as the Valentine State, and yes, the saguaro only grows here.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for saguaro 
Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2024
Far from the ocean, fiercer wildfires fueled by invasive grasses are putting the giant saguaro, that icon of the American West, at greaterrisk.
—Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 13 July 2024
Proceeds from Big Cactus went to restoring land and replanting saguaro cactus after a fire in the Tonto National Forest.
—Jack Armstrong, The Arizona Republic, 18 June 2024
Yes, we're known as the Valentine State, and yes, the saguaro only grows here.
—Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for saguaro
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'saguaro.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near saguaro
Cite this Entry
“Saguaro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saguaro. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share