magnolia

noun

mag·no·lia | \ mag-ˈnōl-yə

Definition of magnolia

: any of a genus (Magnolia of the family Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family) of American and Asian shrubs and trees with entire evergreen or deciduous leaves and usually showy white, yellow, rose, or purple flowers usually appearing in early spring

Examples of magnolia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Once, a client helicoptered in a large magnolia for their garden because a tractor trailer couldn’t make it around a turn in the winding roads of Beverly Hills where the house was located. — Katherine Clarke, WSJ, 22 Apr. 2021 Celebrated are the flowering magnolia and cherry trees — odes to spring’s rebirth. — Laura Manske, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021 One of the magnolia buds is just, just, just about to bloom. — Liana Finck, The New York Review of Books, 15 Mar. 2020 Nantucket: Lingering migrants and summer residents including a piping plover, a black skimmer, and a magnolia warbler last week. — BostonGlobe.com, 3 Nov. 2019 The chalky white and gray of the stones was punctuated here and there with pink-blossoming trees and saucer magnolias. — Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2020 Across the Northern Hemisphere, the flowers will soon be blooming everywhere: seas of sunflowers in Tuscany, wispy wisteria in Japan, lavender fields in southern France, the cherry blossoms and magnolias in the American Northeast. — Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, 9 Apr. 2020 Tammy: [alarmed-looking duck emoji] Mom: [two photos of magnolia trees] Tammy: Wow!! — Sylvia Poggioli, The New York Review of Books, 29 Mar. 2020 San Ysidro Ranch is set on a sprawling 500 acres with an abundance of flora: olive, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, pepper and jacaranda trees, gardens filled with jasmine, magnolias, roses and lavender. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magnolia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near magnolia

magnoferrite

magnolia

Magnoliaceae

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Cite this Entry

“Magnolia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnolia. Accessed 27 Sep. 2021.

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More Definitions for magnolia

magnolia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of magnolia

: a tree or tall bush that has white, pink, yellow, or purple flowers

See the full definition for magnolia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

magnolia

noun

mag·no·lia | \ mag-ˈnōl-yə

Kids Definition of magnolia

: a tree or tall shrub having showy white, pink, yellow, or purple flowers that appear in early spring

magnolia

noun

mag·no·lia | \ mag-ˈnōl-yə

Medical Definition of magnolia

1 capitalized : a genus (family Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family) of North American and Asian shrubs and trees including some whose bark has been used especially as a bitter tonic and diaphoretic in folk medicine

2a : any shrub or tree of the genus Magnolia

b : the dried bark of a magnolia