prune

1 of 2

noun

: a plum dried or capable of drying without fermentation

prune

2 of 2

verb

pruned; pruning

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter
pruned the text
prune the budget
b
: to remove as superfluous
prune away all ornamentation
2
: to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth
prune the branches

intransitive verb

: to cut away what is unwanted or superfluous
pruner noun

Examples of prune in a Sentence

Verb She carefully pruned the hedge. Those trees need to be pruned every year. The students were asked to prune their essays. The budget needs to be pruned.
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.
Noun
Those rules included no smoking cigarettes, no drinking alcohol and drinking prune juice in the morning. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2025 Flowers are produced on old wood so the best time to prune is right after the early spring blooms disappear. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
Look for citrus varieties grafted onto dwarf or semi-dwarf root stock so the citrus tree stays small and doesn’t need to be pruned or re-potted as often. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2025 In the trim room, workers prune the buds of a new strain called Berry Payton. Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prune

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, plum, from Latin prunum — more at plum

Verb

Middle English prouynen, probably ultimately from Old French prooignier, alteration of *porrooignier, from por- completely (from Latin pro-) + rooignier to cut, prune, from Vulgar Latin *rotundiare to cut around, from Latin rotundus round — more at pro-, rotund

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of prune was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prune. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

prune

1 of 2 noun
: a dried plum

prune

2 of 2 verb
pruned; pruning
1
a
: to reduce by getting rid of matter that is not necessary or wanted
prune an essay
prune a budget
b
: to remove as unnecessary
2
: to cut off the parts of a woody plant that are dead or not wanted
prune the hedge
pruner noun

Medical Definition

prune

noun
: a plum dried or capable of drying without fermentation and often used as a food and as a mild laxative

More from Merriam-Webster on prune

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