any of several trees of the rosaceous genus Prunus, such as P. avium (sweet cherry), having a small fleshy rounded fruit containing a hard stone
See also bird cherry
2.
the fruit or wood of any of these trees
3.
any of various unrelated plants, such as the ground cherry and Jerusalem cherry
4.
a.
a bright red colour; cerise
b.
(as adjective)
a cherry coat
5. slang
virginity or the hymen as its symbol
6. (modifier)
of or relating to the cherry fruit or wood
cherry tart
Derived forms
cherry-like (ˈcherry-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C14: back formation from Old English ciris (mistakenly thought to be plural), ultimately from Late Latin ceresia, perhaps from Latin cerasus cherry tree, from Greek kerasios
Examples of 'cherries' in a sentence
cherries
She made a Polish cake that was heavy with eggs and ripe cherries.
Hilary Mantel LEARNING TO TALK: SHORT STORIES (2003)
Inside the container were stacked cases of canned cherries.
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2003)
Choose your favourite dried fruit from chopped apricots, dried cherries, sliced dates and prunes.
The Sun (2017)
Add cherries and nectarines to the bowl.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Mix together the chestnuts with the ginger, cherries and angelica in a separate bowl.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Wild cherries are the parent trees of our orchard cherries.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Most cherries will grow quite big, and many need space to really shine.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
However, perhaps the tide is turning for cherries.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In a mixing bowl, combine the popcorn, marshmallows, glacé cherries and dried fruit.
The Sun (2017)
Cherries contain melatonin, which regulates body clock cycles.
The Sun (2010)
All related terms of 'cherries'
cherry
Cherries are small, round fruit with red skins .
cherries jubilee
a dessert of dark sweet cherries served in a flaming brandy sauce over vanilla ice cream
maraschino cherries
cherries in a syrup flavored with maraschino or, now usually, imitation maraschino
bird cherry
a small Eurasian rosaceous tree, Prunus padus , with clusters of white flowers and small black fruits
sour cherry
a Eurasian rosaceous tree, Prunus cerasus, with white flowers: cultivated for its tart red fruits
wild cherry
a white-flowered rosaceous tree, Prunus avium, of Europe , W Asia , and N Africa , the ancestor of the cultivated sweet cherries
Amazon cherry
a small tree or shrub , Malpighia glabra , that grows in the rainforests of N South America , Central America, and Jamaica
black cherry
a tree of the species Prunus serotina , having a small fleshy rounded edible fruit containing a hard stone
dessert cherry
the fruit of a cherry tree
glacé cherry
a crystallized or candied cherry , used in cookery and cocktail-making
ground cherry
any of various American solanaceous plants of the genus Physalis , esp P . pubescens, having round fleshy fruit enclosed in a bladder-like husk
heart cherry
a heart-shaped variety of sweet cherry
laurel cherry
a tree, Prunus caroliniana , of the rose family, of the southeastern U.S., having small, milky-white flowers and black, shiny fruit
marasca cherry
the red acid-tasting fruit of the marasca tree, from which maraschino is made
morello cherry
a variety of small very dark sour cherry , Prunus cerasus austera
sweet cherry
either of two types of cherry tree that are cultivated for their red edible sweet fruit, the gean having tender-fleshed fruit, the bigarreau having firm-fleshed fruit
winter cherry
a Eurasian solanaceous plant, Physalis alkekengi, cultivated for its ornamental inflated papery orange-red calyx
life is a bowl of cherries
said to mean that life is full of pleasure and enjoyment . This expression is often used negatively to comment on an unpleasant or difficult situation.
cornelian cherry
a flowering tree of the dogwood family Cornus mas
Jerusalem cherry
a small South American solanaceous shrub , Solanum pseudo-capsicum, cultivated as a house plant for its white flowers and inedible reddish cherry-like fruit
maraschino cherry
a cherry preserved in maraschino or an imitation of this liqueur , used as a garnish
bing
a heap or pile , esp of spoil from a mine
gean
a white-flowered rosaceous tree, Prunus avium, of Europe, W Asia , and N Africa, the ancestor of the cultivated sweet cherries
Japanese flowering cherry
a decorative cherry tree Prunus serrulata which has several varieties, including kwanzan , shirotae and shirofugen