raspberry

[ raz-ber-ee, -buh-ree, rahz- ]
See synonyms for raspberry on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rasp·ber·ries.
  1. the fruit of any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Rubus, of the rose family, consisting of small and juicy red, black, or pale yellow drupelets forming a detachable cap about a convex receptacle.

  2. any shrub bearing this fruit.

  1. a dark reddish-purple color.

  2. Informal.

    • any sign or expression of dislike or derision.

Origin of raspberry

1
1615–25; earlier rasp(is) raspberry (< ?) + berry; (def. 4) by shortening of raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use raspberry in a sentence

  • For dessert there were the most fragrant red raspberries conceivable, with golden sponge cake.

    A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith Nicholson
  • "It looks as though you've been p-p-picking raspberries," Hall said.

    The Stutterer | R.R. Merliss
  • The stains about his mouth showed that not all the raspberries were carried in the basket.

    The Stutterer | R.R. Merliss
  • I have no doubt his breast was redder at that very moment with the blood of my raspberries.

  • We are now going to gather wild raspberries on the cliff south of and we want you and Sneak to assist us.

    Wild Western Scenes | John Beauchamp Jones

British Dictionary definitions for raspberry

raspberry

/ (ˈrɑːzbərɪ, -brɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. any of the prickly shrubs of the rosaceous genus Rubus, such as R. strigosus of E North America and R. idaeus of Europe, that have pinkish-white flowers and typically red berry-like fruits (drupelets): See also bramble

    • the fruit of any such plant

    • (as modifier): raspberry jelly

  1. black raspberry Popular name: blackcap

    • a related plant, Rubus occidentalis, of E North America, that has black berry-like fruits

    • the fruit of this plant

    • a dark purplish-red colour

    • (as adjective): a raspberry dress

  2. a spluttering noise made with the tongue and lips to express contempt (esp in the phrase blow a raspberry)

Origin of raspberry

1
C17: from earlier raspis raspberry, of unknown origin + berry : C19 in sense 5, from rhyming slang raspberry tart fart

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012