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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
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Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1680, in the meaning defined above
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 21 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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crab apple
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