beach plum

noun

: a shrubby plum (Prunus maritima) having white flowers and growing chiefly along the northeastern coast of North America
also : its edible usually dark purple fruit that is used especially in preserves

Examples of beach plum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Insects, crustaceans, bayberries and beach plums await the roughly one million birds that rest here before continuing south. Adam Erace, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2023 Native plants like bluestem grass, bayberry, and beach plum were cultivated to give texture and guide the sight lines. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023 Christmas points to the unique nature of the beach plum as a driving force. Emily Lytle, baltimoresun.com, 13 Sep. 2021 Cranberry and beach plum picking in Newburyport and Plum Island draws crowds every year, but the US Fish and Wildlife Service wants to remind people that only 50 permits are available. Annika Hom, BostonGlobe.com, 5 July 2019 Fifty free permits for picking beach plums and cranberries are available in the lottery. Morgan Hughes, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2018 Image Josephine’s Feast, a Brooklyn producer of preserves and condiments made mostly from local ingredients (even foraged beach plums), has welcomed summer with a fragrant new flavor, strawberries and pink Champagne. New York Times, 21 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beach plum was in 1741

Dictionary Entries Near beach plum

Cite this Entry

“Beach plum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beach%20plum. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

beach plum

noun
: a shrubby plum with showy flowers that grows along the Atlantic coast of the northern U.S. and Canada
also : its dark purple fruit often used in preserves
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!