as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prune
This understanding of soil diversity enables Wineburg and her team to make more precise viticulture decisions, like adjusting pruning techniques to enhance vascular flow, shaping canopy structure, and managing yields to suit the unique character of each block.
—
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2025
Lawn and garden care service is also available to handle tasks like fertilization, pruning and weed control.
—Liz Ohanesian, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Liberation from time and pruning through mass dishwasher ownership is a dream that remainsonly partly fulfilled.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Maintaining proper airflow by pruning can be as easy as snapping off a low branch or snipping a growing tip here and there.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2025
Lawn and garden care service is also available to handle tasks like fertilization, pruning and weed control.
—Liz Ohanesian, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Liberation from time and pruning through mass dishwasher ownership is a dream that remainsonly partly fulfilled.
—Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Maintaining proper airflow by pruning can be as easy as snapping off a low branch or snipping a growing tip here and there.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune
Verb
-
The efficiencies gained through the unique printing process also help save resources, and can shave off costs.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Over the course of a career, fees this high can shave tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) off a teacher's retirement savings.—
Steve Hruby,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Vance said one portion of Democrats are making unreasonable demands to restore more than $1 trillion over the next decade in healthcare spending that was cut earlier this year.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Training, professional development, and the Safe Cities Partnership are among the areas cut.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tommy Castellanos threw a pair of touchdown passes (with two-point conversions) and drove into field goal range to trim Miami’s lead from 28-3 to 28-22.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Built-in editing tools enable you to crop, trim, merge clips, add watermarks, and extract subtitles for complete control.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While applying pre-emergent herbicides in September or October is the best defense against these weeds, mowing in late fall and winter can help manage any that appear after the herbicide window.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Outdoors, WhistlinDiesel drove a truck into Ben, took it into downtown Nashville, and even used it to mow a lawn.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share