to·pi·ary
ˈtō-pē-ˌer-ē 
plural topiaries
1
a
: a plant shaped by topiary art
b
: topiary plants
2
: topiary art or gardening
also
: a topiary garden
: of, relating to, or being the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes
also
: characterized by such work
Examples of topiary in a Sentence
Noun
a garden featuring topiaries and fountains
Recent Examples on the Web
San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 Don’t Forget Your Porch These adorable topiary ducklings from Pottery Barn could be great as a door stop or table decor.
—Parker Bowie Larson, ELLE Decor, 16 Mar. 2023
Transition the topiaries into the fall season with this next pick.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023
For the raw almond topiary, start at the top and work your way down, gluing horizontal rows around the perimeter and overlapping slightly for full coverage.
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 14 Sep. 2022
Each one is 14 inches high, which is the perfect height for displaying seasonal favorites like topiaries or mums.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023
Today, visitors can marvel at human inventiveness by visiting the 15 outdoor topiary rooms.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2023
The city could finish the topiary as originally planned.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Rounding out the look are ribbons and ornaments on the topiaries.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 29 Aug. 2023
Allyson Portee, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023
The British monarch, 74, is bringing a topiary garden to stand in front of Sandringham House in Norfolk, coming this spring.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2023
These encourage the hoarding and preening of a largely topiary language that can do little aside from signal class, be beautiful, and inhibit certain views.
—Hannah Gold, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022
The newest installment is a topiary elephant, a gift from the memorial in honor of her late brother’s Elephant Family charity.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 27 Sep. 2022
Inside the villa nature resumes its rights: lush foliage, waterfall, topiary garden and a living wall.
—Cécilia Pelloux, Forbes, 13 May 2022
Later in the season, Coburn will create a second topiary art piece, and a new crop of flowers known as stock will come into bloom.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2022
With deep green and silver leaves, this non-fruiting olive tree can be coaxed into a hedge or this very proper looking topiary shape.
—Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020
And now that shrubbery sculpting season is at its height, Petricka also shares top tips for any beginner wanting to try their hand at topiary art.
—Nancy Ngo, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021
See More
Noun
Local artist Edna Harper has turned her front yard into a topiary.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 Don’t Forget Your Porch These adorable topiary ducklings from Pottery Barn could be great as a door stop or table decor.
—Parker Bowie Larson, ELLE Decor, 16 Mar. 2023
Transition the topiaries into the fall season with this next pick.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023
For the raw almond topiary, start at the top and work your way down, gluing horizontal rows around the perimeter and overlapping slightly for full coverage.
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 14 Sep. 2022
Each one is 14 inches high, which is the perfect height for displaying seasonal favorites like topiaries or mums.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023
Today, visitors can marvel at human inventiveness by visiting the 15 outdoor topiary rooms.
—Mary Carole McCauley, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2023
The city could finish the topiary as originally planned.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 16 June 2023
Rounding out the look are ribbons and ornaments on the topiaries.
—Kelsey Mulvey, ELLE Decor, 29 Aug. 2023
Adjective
The restaurant is surrounded by trees, topiary bushes for walls, and an array of lighting positioned around the restaurant.
—Allyson Portee, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023
The British monarch, 74, is bringing a topiary garden to stand in front of Sandringham House in Norfolk, coming this spring.
—Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2023
These encourage the hoarding and preening of a largely topiary language that can do little aside from signal class, be beautiful, and inhibit certain views.
—Hannah Gold, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022
The newest installment is a topiary elephant, a gift from the memorial in honor of her late brother’s Elephant Family charity.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 27 Sep. 2022
Inside the villa nature resumes its rights: lush foliage, waterfall, topiary garden and a living wall.
—Cécilia Pelloux, Forbes, 13 May 2022
Later in the season, Coburn will create a second topiary art piece, and a new crop of flowers known as stock will come into bloom.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2022
With deep green and silver leaves, this non-fruiting olive tree can be coaxed into a hedge or this very proper looking topiary shape.
—Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020
And now that shrubbery sculpting season is at its height, Petricka also shares top tips for any beginner wanting to try their hand at topiary art.
—Nancy Ngo, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topiary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near topiary
Cite this Entry
“Topiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topiary. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
topiary
1 of 2 adjective
to·pi·ary
ˈtō-pē-ˌer-ē
1
a
: relating to or being the art or practice of topiary
b
: shaped or created by topiary
a topiary elephant
2
: characterized by or containing topiary
a topiary garden
topiary
2 of 2 noun
plural topiaries
1
: the art or practice of training and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes
2
: a garden or park containing plants shaped by topiary
also
: a plant or plants shaped by topiary
More from Merriam-Webster on topiary
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about topiary
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