mangrove

noun

man·​grove ˈman-ˌgrōv 

ˈmaŋ-

1

: any of a genus (Rhizophora, especially R. mangle of the family Rhizophoraceae) of tropical maritime trees or shrubs that send out many prop roots and form dense masses important in coastal land building and as foundations of unique ecosystems

2

: any of numerous trees (as of the genera Avicennia of the acanthus family or Sonneratia of the family Lythraceae) with growth habits like those of the true mangroves

Examples of mangrove in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cedar Key sits off a part of Florida that is home to large swaths of mangrove wilderness, including Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve and Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2025

The island is home to unspoiled mangrove forests, quiet beaches, rubber and rice plantations. —Emese MacZko, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court ruled that marine ecosystems have rights The court’s decision expanded a 2008 constitutional provision, then the first of its kind in the world, that granted nature legal rights but thus far had been applied only to terrestrial ecosystems and mangroves. —Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2025

Two days later, Key West police and Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies found Acosta’s body in the mangroves. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from Portuguese mangue mangrove (from Spanish mangle, probably from Taino) + English grove

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mangrove

• alcove
• clove
• cove
• drove
• rove
• shrove
• stove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove

Kids Definition

mangrove

noun

man·​grove ˈman-ˌgrōv 

ˈmaŋ-

: any of various tropical trees or shrubs that grow many prop roots and form dense masses in somewhat salty marshes or shallow salt water