prunes

verb

present tense third-person singular of prune
as in shaves
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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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 prunes Cadet, who spent several years working as a florist, prunes the thick green stems of the faux lilies and roses. — Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026 Van Tassel prunes her tomatoes throughout the season for better air circulation. — Lauren David, Southern Living, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prunes
  1. shaves
  2. cuts
  3. trims
  4. clips
  5. crops
Verb
  • Its ceramic blades easily tackle coarse hair and its waterproof design makes in-shower shaves a breeze.
    — Sara Coughlin, Allure, 5 July 2026
  • Zillow says that a pale pink bathroom could lose you up to $6,013, while a pale pink kitchen shaves an extra $4,201 off potential buyers' offers.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2026
Definition of shaves
Verb
  • Unlike a razor, which simply cuts hair at the surface, an epilator removes it from the root by mechanically plucking multiple hairs at once.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026
  • The headline feature across the lineup is Air Fry Max which, according to Samsung, delivers crispy results without the need to preheat and cuts cooking times by up to 15% compared to the Air Fry modes found on previous-gen models.
    — Paul Lamkin, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of cuts
Verb
  • Spink’s optimism about the growth opportunities in Saudi Arabia comes even as the kingdom trims capital expenditure, cuts some projects, and limits spending on foreign consultants.
    — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
  • Coppola's preferred version of the film, Final Cut, removes or trims a handful of sequences, including the exchange between Willard (Martin Sheen) and the Playboy Playmates, and Kurtz (Marlon Brando) reading from TIME magazine.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Definition of trims
Verb
  • All of my essentials are packed in my Stowaway, which clips into my weekender as a bag organizer, and can clip out to be worn on its own as a crossbody when walking around during the day or as a clutch when going out in the evening.
    — Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 16 July 2026
  • This compact tote folds into a small pouch that clips directly onto your keys and expands into a functional bag when needed.
    — Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Definition of clips
Verb
  • There are two levels of HyperSmooth available, standard and Boost, the latter of which crops into the frame a little more tightly to handle especially bumpy scenes.
    — Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 11 June 2026
  • When a user uploads a photo, the algorithm locates the bee, crops the image and compares it to our database.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Nov. 2025
Definition of crops

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pruned
prunes
pruning
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Cite this Entry

“Prunes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prunes. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on prunes

Nglish: Translation of prunes for Spanish Speakers

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