tendril

noun

ten·​dril ˈten-drəl 

1

: a leaf, stipule, or stem modified into a slender spirally coiling sensitive organ serving to attach a climbing plant to its support

2

: something suggestive of a tendril

creeping tendrils of fog

tendriled adjective

or tendrilled

ˈten-drəld 

tendrilous

ˈten-drə-ləs 

adjective

Illustration of tendril

• tendril 1

Examples of tendril in a Sentence

A few tendrils of hair framed her face.

Recent Examples on the Web

The star's honey blonde hair was swept up into a twist at the top of her head with a long ponytail draping down and a few tendrils framing her face. —Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026

Those soft stripes are seen woven sporadically throughout the fluffy look, like in her tendrils and along the crown. —Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Apr. 2026

The New York Times bestselling author wore her dark tendrils in damp curls, while her makeup included gray eyeshadow, a razor-thin brow, and a nude lip. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026

The tendrils of Christina Koch’s flyaway hair swirled about in the gravityless cockpit of the Orion spacecraft, seeming to represent all of the untetheredness of the Artemis II mission. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of Middle French tendron bud, cartilage, alteration of Old French tenrum, from Vulgar Latin *tenerumen, from Latin tener tender — more at tender entry 1

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tendril

noun

ten·​dril ˈten-drəl 

1

: a slender leafless winding stem by which some climbing plants fasten themselves to a support

2

: something that curls like a tendril

tendrils of hair