as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
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Recent Examples of pruning
Sporadic blooms may open during summer with a few varieties, but these are often lost during pruning.
—
Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Harder tasks, like pruning and repotting plants, offer more money.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
Adjust pruning to create a good balance of both.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
If the tree has areas of dense growth, inward- or upright-growing shoots, or poor structure, pruning is in order.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
Light pruning in early spring encourages strong stems that will support the flowers, along with dense, leafy growth.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2026
Below, Pritts offers his advice when pruning pomegranate trees.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
This easy task is known as thumb pruning and facilitates keeping the bush open to air and sun.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
Work pruning and removing trees began in the fall and is expected to be finished in early Spring 2025, officials said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Harder tasks, like pruning and repotting plants, offer more money.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026
Adjust pruning to create a good balance of both.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
If the tree has areas of dense growth, inward- or upright-growing shoots, or poor structure, pruning is in order.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
Light pruning in early spring encourages strong stems that will support the flowers, along with dense, leafy growth.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2026
Below, Pritts offers his advice when pruning pomegranate trees.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
This easy task is known as thumb pruning and facilitates keeping the bush open to air and sun.
—Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
Work pruning and removing trees began in the fall and is expected to be finished in early Spring 2025, officials said.
—Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pruning
Verb
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For three men in three different places, shaving their heads did not erase years of anxiety but changed the narrative.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bangladesh has launched fresh measures to curb energy consumption, cutting office hours and trimming public spending as conflict in the Middle East disrupts global fuel markets and strains power supply in the South Asian nation.—
Max Burman,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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After trimming the board’s budget for 2026, Meta plans to further reduce funding in 2027 and 2028, and potentially stop paying for it entirely after that, Platformer reports.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That the Illini couldn’t complete their comeback attempt despite cutting it to four in the final minutes was dismaying.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
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There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony a couple of hours before the game, gigantic scissors slicing a pink ribbon.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Woods, 50, had to climb out of the passenger's side door of his Land Rover in the wake of the March 27 crash on Jupiter Island, because the car had flipped onto its side after clipping the trailer attached to a pickup truck driving in front of him, according to the arrest report.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Smart mowing tactics can eliminate clipping litter, too.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His volunteering includes helping seniors by mowing their lawns, trimming their hedges and bringing them dinner on holidays.—
Janice Neumann,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Although forests store far more carbon overall in wood and soil, lawns can still play a supporting role by storing carbon mostly belowground, as long as maintenance inputs like fertilizer, mowing fuel, and irrigation are kept in check.—
Dr. Avishesh Neupane,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pruning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pruning. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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