strawberry

strawberry — noun

1. A soft, cone-shaped red fruit that grows close to the ground and tastes sweet an

1.nounA1
Definition

A soft, cone-shaped red fruit that grows close to the ground and tastes sweet and juicy. Its outside is covered in tiny yellow seeds. Strawberries grow on short green plants that produce white flowers, and the word can also refer to the plant itself.

Example

Caleb ate fresh strawberries from a small red bowl.

fresh strawberries — common adjective-noun collocation

Noa put strawberry pieces on her white birthday cake.

strawberry pieces — noun-noun compound as modifier

Common collocations
  • fresh strawberries
  • strawberry jam
  • strawberry cake
  • strawberry ice cream
  • pick strawberries
  • grow strawberries
  • sweet strawberries
  • ripe strawberries
  • slice strawberries
  • strawberry farm

Grammar Patterns

strawberry + noun (attributive)

a strawberry / strawberries (plural)

Usage Note

Commonly used as an attributive modifier before another noun to describe the flavour or ingredient (strawberry jam, strawberry cake, strawberry ice cream). The plural form strawberries is far more common than the singular because the fruit is often thought of or purchased in groups.

Common Mistakes

I love strawbery ice cream.
I love strawberry ice cream.
The word has two 'r's and is spelled straw-berr-y, not straw-ber-y.
I bought two strawberry at the market.
I bought two strawberries at the market.
Strawberry is countable; use the plural form when referring to more than one fruit.

Word family

  • strawberry-blonde
    adjectiveB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four fruits are all small, sweet, and commonly used in desserts, but they differ in appearance and flavour. Strawberries are cone-shaped, bright red on the outside, and have seeds on the surface. Raspberries are round, made of many tiny sections, and come in red or black varieties with a hollow centre. Blueberries are small, round, and dark blue with a smooth skin and soft inside. Blackberries look similar to raspberries but are darker and more tart. In cooking, strawberries are often used fresh or in jams, raspberries are popular in sauces, blueberries go well in muffins and pancakes, and blackberries are common in pies. All four can be eaten raw, but the growing plants differ: strawberries grow low on the ground, while the others grow on bushes.

strawberryraspberryblueberryblackberry

Common collocations

Nouns

  • strawberry field
  • strawberry patch
  • strawberry season
  • strawberry plant
  • strawberry farm
  • strawberry flavour

Phrases

  • a punnet of strawberries
  • a basket of strawberries
  • a bowl of strawberries
  • cream and strawberries
  • chocolate-covered strawberries

Prepositions

  • strawberries in [a bowl, cream]
  • strawberries with [sugar, yoghurt]
  • strawberries on [a cake, cereal]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word strawberry comes from Old English streawberige (streaw 'straw' + berige 'berry'). There are two main theories for the name: the plants send out thin runners that look like pieces of straw, or farmers used to spread straw around the plants to keep the fruit clean and dry. The word has been used since before the year 1000.