1
a
: a Mediterranean evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil
also
: the fruit
b
: any of various shrubs and trees resembling the olive
2
: any of several colors resembling that of the unripe fruit of the olive tree that are yellowish green
3
: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata
1
: of the color olive or olive green
2
: approaching olive in color or complexion
Examples of olive in a Sentence
Noun
a sauce made with chopped olives
Does the suit come in olive?
Recent Examples on the Web
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Juicy wagyu skewers—from A5 chuck to olive-fed ribeye—are served simply with yuzu shichimi, salt, and wasabi.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
The olive press suggests that the once-affluent estate was later repurposed for oil production, likely tied to the Samaritan Revolts under Byzantine rule.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for olive
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Noun
Cocktail picks Don’t forget to complete each drink with a fun cocktail pick for skewering those olives.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Juicy wagyu skewers—from A5 chuck to olive-fed ribeye—are served simply with yuzu shichimi, salt, and wasabi.
—Chelsea Davis, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Smoothing round poppy seeds and sea salt—which do the gentle buffing—come suspended in a hunk of detoxifying French blue clay, nourishing olive fruit oil, and zingy peppermint essential oil, the latter of which wakes you up better than any iPhone alarm.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
The olive press suggests that the once-affluent estate was later repurposed for oil production, likely tied to the Samaritan Revolts under Byzantine rule.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for olive
Cite this Entry
“Olive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olive. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
olive
noun
ol·ive
ˈäl-iv, -əv 
1
: an Old World evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil
also
: the fruit
2
: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata that contains the inferior olive of the same side
called also olivary body
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