noun

cherry

CHEH-ree

noun

A small, round stone fruit, usually deep red, that grows on a tree of the genus Prunus.

"She picked a bowl of cherries from the tree in the garden."

"The cake was topped with a single glacé cherry."

Informal: virginity, or someone's first experience of something.

"It was his first marathon — he finally lost his cherry."

adj

Bright red, the colour of a ripe cherry.

"He drove off in a cherry-red convertible."

How to Use Cherry

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small red fruit with a pit, or the bright red colour associated with it; informally, it can also mean a "first time."

Common mistake

The phrase "cherry-pick" (choosing only the best examples) uses cherry as a verb form unrelated to the fruit's literal picking.

Common pairings

cherry tree cherry blossom cherry red cherry on top

Word Forms

cherrier comparative, more cherry comparative, cherried past tense, cherries plural, Cherries plural, cherries singular, cherriest superlative, most cherry superlative

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The cake was topped with a single glacé _____.

Etymology

Traced back through Old French and Latin to Ancient Greek kerasos, the name of the wild cherry tree — the same root that gives us "cerise" and the Turkish city "Giresun."

Rhymes for cherry

berry Kerry ferry Jerry merry terry perry Derry Gerry sherry mulberry Mayberry

See all rhymes for cherry →