crab apple

noun

: any of various wild or cultivated trees (genus Malus) that are cultivars or relatives of the cultivated apple and that produce small sour fruit
also : the fruit

Examples of crab apple in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dwarf crab apples can get 8-10 feet tall but can be kept pruned. Sheila Yount, arkansasonline.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Chef Cameron Cousin, 46, taps into a lot of diners’ wish lists with his winning roundup of oysters Rockefeller, French onion soup, ricotta scattered with mushrooms, and a strapping pork chop that’s pure comfort (and sweetly served with apple sauce inside hollowed crab apples). Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024 The kumquat is to the orange what the crab apple is to the apple – a small, tart version of the larger fruit. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024 The team found evidence of fruit and nuts, including hazelnut, apple and crab apple. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crab apple 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crab apple.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

crab entry 3

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crab apple was in 1680

Dictionary Entries Near crab apple

Cite this Entry

“Crab apple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crab%20apple. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

crab apple

noun
: any of several cultivated or wild trees related to the apple tree and producing a small sour fruit
also : the fruit

More from Merriam-Webster on crab apple

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