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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.
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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 11 Feb. 2025.
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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