PRUNE Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

prune

verb

Definition of prune

as in to shave

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of prune With the arrival of fall, Wilson is getting ready to prune what’s left of the plants, fertilize the soil, lay down some straw and netting, and wait out the wintry weather. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 Gregory Hair, the founder and managing director of SLIDE Living, also recommends pruning your hibiscus lightly. — Jane Kim, The Spruce, 26 Sep. 2026 New York — Starbucks is closing approximately 250 locations in the coming days as the coffee chain continues to prune its store count during its turnaround efforts. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 On one canvas, a woman prunes a plant and a cook tends his stove atop amid a procession of celestial beings. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prune

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune

Verb

Judge Underhill could have added to the 10 years of incarceration that the federal sentencing guidelines recommend but instead departed downward from them and shaved three years off them.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
The option could be useful when customers don’t have enough miles for the entire ticket and are looking to shave some cash off the ticket price.

— Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of shave

Verb

For decades, the European Union has led the world in implementing policies designed to cut emissions, creating the world’s most important price on carbon and crafting the rules of the road for a wide range of regulatory efforts.

— Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Staff cut raw chicken and then proceeded to cut lamb without washing, rinsing and sanitizing cutting boards and prep tables.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

Mock skeletons are everywhere in the weeks leading up to Halloween, but a real one turned up as someone was mowing grass in eastern North Carolina, police say.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 Oct. 2026
The island where the marram grass was transplanted was mowed in the past.

— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of mow

Browse Nearby Words

prudishness

prune

pruned

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“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prune

verb

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