picket fence

noun

plural picket fences
: a fence made of pickets
a white picket fence
Old roses scrambling up a porch or spilling over a picket fence may be reminiscent of a bygone era.Michael MacCaskey
Tall pine trees lined both sides of the road, backdropped by an occasional stone wall or picket fencePeter Gordon
often used to evoke an idealized or stereotypical image or conception of happy suburban homes in the U.S.
First we are lulled with a vision of homespun Americana: flowers, a picket fence, a fireman waving from his fire truck, a man watering his front lawn.David Ansen
"Everyone saw me on TV or read articles, and it was all about my great marriage, the white picket fence, all this success and my perfect life. But behind the scenes, it was a struggle," says [Lindsay] Vonn …Elizabeth Leonard
… grandparents who were hoping their grandchildren would be raised behind a white picket fence and full-measure suburbanites …Janet Elder
We have worked our way up the real estate food chain to the point where we have a modest version of the complete suburban package: the picket fence, the stone walls, the in-ground pool …Charles McGrath

Examples of picket fence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
That didn’t mean that Tagovailoa immediately erected a picket fence on the field. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024 An unhinged salon door, bare ladder, wooden bed frame and picket fence are some of the remnants nailed together for a ramshackle background. Bryan West, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 In 1999, a metal picket fence with brick columns was put up in place of the 1926 wall, though a small portion of the old wall remains around the southern gate. arkansasonline.com, 14 Sep. 2024 The visions of a single-family home, a white picket fence and a two-car garage have represented financial freedom for generations. Jarred Kessler, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for picket fence 

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of picket fence was in 1777

Dictionary Entries Near picket fence

Cite this Entry

“Picket fence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picket%20fence. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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