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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prunes
Verb
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After consultations with superiors, the jail superintendent has sent for a barber, who shaves the man gently, making sure to clear the fuzz from his earlobes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026 -
In his 1939 version, William Wyler shaves away huge chunks of the story.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An entire film of buzzy, chaotic music suddenly cuts away so that these sounds can ring out clearly across the cosmos.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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Off-site construction reliably cuts construction timelines by 10% to 30%, according to an analysis by the Terner Center.—
Ben Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like other series in a similar position, most notably Dick Wolf’s dramas, Grey’s Anatomy has gone through budget trims the last couple of seasons, including reducing the episodic guarantees of veteran cast members the last two years, with each appearing in 14 of the show’s 18 episodes each season.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
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That figure is likely to keep sliding, particularly if the Fed trims rates later this year.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The holder clips right to your pack or waders and keeps everything in a neat, easy-to-dispense stack.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
23 Dec. 2025
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The carry handles each have a magnetic piece that then clips together to form a single bar to grasp.—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Prunes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prunes. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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