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
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Recent Examples of prune
When experiences don’t occur, that particular set of connections won’t be made, because neurons that aren’t seeing any action get pruned away to keep our brains working efficiently.
—
Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
Original price: $16.99 These Pine Tree Tool bamboo working gloves are a must for raking, pruning, hauling and anything else your fall yard cleanup requires.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Labor, then and now, is hard to find or unsustainable to pay, so the family mostly relies on relatives for pruning, thinning, spraying, harvesting and marketing.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Trees and shrubs Do not prune trees and shrubs in autumn.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
Original price: $16.99 These Pine Tree Tool bamboo working gloves are a must for raking, pruning, hauling and anything else your fall yard cleanup requires.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Labor, then and now, is hard to find or unsustainable to pay, so the family mostly relies on relatives for pruning, thinning, spraying, harvesting and marketing.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Trees and shrubs Do not prune trees and shrubs in autumn.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune
Verb
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Moviegoers had to agree to have their hair shaved off by a barber in the theater's lobby.—
NPR,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Boston College men's basketball point-shaving scandal One of the clearest examples of La Cosa Nostra's reach in sports was the 1978-79 scandal involving Boston College and two associates of the Lucchese crime family.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Overall, the inflation data likely add fuel to expectations that the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point at its policy meeting later this month - its second consecutive cut.—
NPR,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
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Superstar Shohei Ohtani launched a two-run shot to cut the lead down to 11-4, but the momentum still appeared to be on the Blue Jays' side in a raucous Rogers Centre.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To prune overgrown blueberry bushes, trim half of the oldest canes down to the ground to encourage new branches to grow.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
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Adams’ Exit Narrows the Field After Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race, much of his support appeared to transfer to Cuomo, trimming Mamdani’s lead.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Someone who wasn’t at the birthday party mowed a lawn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
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Let’s take a closer look at the best mowing height and timing to prepare your lawn for the cold ahead.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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