prune
/prune/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb:
- To trim or cut away parts of a plant: To remove unwanted branches, stems, or parts from a tree, bush, or plant to encourage healthy growth or improve its shape.
- To reduce or remove unnecessary parts: To cut down or eliminate anything considered superfluous, excessive, or undesirable from something larger, such as a budget, text, or list.
Noun:
- A dried plum: A fruit produced by drying certain varieties of plums, typically having a sweet, chewy texture and a wrinkled appearance.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Every spring, I prune the rose bushes to help them bloom better.
- The editor had to prune several paragraphs from the article to meet the word limit.
- Noun:
- She added prunes to the oatmeal for extra sweetness and fiber.
Advanced Usage
- "to prune back": To cut a plant back significantly, often to control its size or rejuvenate it.
- We had to prune back the overgrown hedge.
- "to prune away": To remove something completely by cutting or eliminating it.
- The manager pruned away inefficient processes to save time.
Variants and Related Words
- Pruning (n): The activity or process of cutting parts off plants or trees.
- Pruning is an essential gardening task.
- Pruner (n): A person who prunes or a tool used for pruning.
- He used sharp pruners to cut the branch.
Synonyms
- Verb: Trim, cut back, clip, lop, reduce, streamline.
- Noun: Dried plum.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Prune down: To reduce something in size or scope by cutting.
- We need to prune down the guest list for the wedding.
- Prune off: To remove something by cutting, typically used for plants.
- Please prune off the dead flowers.
Related Idioms
- "To prune one's language": To make one's speech more concise or less offensive.
- As a public speaker, he learned to prune his language for clarity.
Verb
- weed out unwanted or unnecessary things
- We had to lose weight, so we cut the sugar from our diet
- cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
- dress the plants in the garden