as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prune
These were often seen as low-hanging fruit-type deals to prune a smaller or underperforming unit to boost value within the main company.
—
Michael Flaherty, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
Several botanic gardens, such as South Coast Botanic Gardens in Rolling Hills Estates and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, have tulip and bulb gardens — the Huntington plants them in its famous rose garden to create filler color after the roses are pruned.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Although they can be pruned into any shape, Wood recommends that pruning is kept within the framework of the plant.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2025
Grape vines and trees will lose their crop if they aren’t pruned in time.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prune 
Michael Flaherty, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
Several botanic gardens, such as South Coast Botanic Gardens in Rolling Hills Estates and the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, have tulip and bulb gardens — the Huntington plants them in its famous rose garden to create filler color after the roses are pruned.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2025
Although they can be pruned into any shape, Wood recommends that pruning is kept within the framework of the plant.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2025
Grape vines and trees will lose their crop if they aren’t pruned in time.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune
Verb
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Planners say it’s expected to shave 12 minutes off travel times for buses and commuters and five minutes for others.—
Adrian Rodriguez,
The Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2025
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And while Clay may face a battle to expand its use cases within a larger organization, companies that start shaving several percentage points off of their operating expenses will be difficult to pull away from Clay, said Meritech’s Alex Kurland, who led the new funding round.—
Alex Konrad,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Giants starter Jason Pinnock was cut while playing under Manuel for the Jets in 2021.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2025
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Though Trump promised to bring down interest rates on the campaign trail, the president does not directly impact monetary policy, and the Fed many not cut interest rates again for a few months.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Razorbacks trimmed the MU lead to 12 on the back of a 6-0 run in the early minutes of the second half.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
19 Jan. 2025
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The walls are trimmed in cinderblock to protect from flaming debris blowing up against the seam where wall meets ground.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Atwater and his son were the last caretakers of the lot, mowing the grass and making sure the property taxes were paid.—
Ben Wieder,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
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Duffie said the commission wants to encourage residents within Porter to develop their own gardens, which would mean less grass to mow and the lower use of fertilizers and pesticides.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near prune
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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