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plum

PLUM/plʌm/

Pluralplums

13 meanings of plum

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  1. 1
    fruitnouncountable
    A soft, juicy, round fruit with smooth purple, red, or yellow skin and one hard seed.

    Like a peach, but smaller and with smooth skin instead of fuzzy skin.

    She bit into a ripe plum and the juice ran down her chin.

    We picked a basket of plums from the tree in the yard.

  2. 2
    fruit like itnouncountable
    A soft fruit you can eat, with one big seed, from a tree much like the plum, or the tree itself.

    Java plums are small purple fruits from a tree that is not a true plum.

    The Java plum in our backyard grows taller than our house.

    Note
  3. 3
    color namenoununcountable
    A dark reddish-purple color, like the skin of the fruit.

    A dark purple, almost like a bruise on the skin.

    She painted her room a soft plum.

    The dress was a rich plum that suited her well.

  4. 4
    purple-coloredadjective
    Having a dark reddish-purple color.

    She wore a plum scarf to the party.

    The sky turned a plum shade after sunset.

    UsageYou can also say plum-colored, which is clearer.

  5. 5
    prized thingnouncountable
    A very good or special thing that many people want, like a great job or prize.

    Like getting the biggest, best slice of cake at a party.

    That job is a real plum, with great pay and easy hours.

    Winning the corner office was a plum for the new manager.

    Similarprize, catch, jewel, gem

    Note
  6. 6
    very desirableadjective
    Very good and much wanted, the best kind of its sort.

    Like getting first pick of all the best toys.

    She landed a plum role in the new movie.

    He got a plum spot near the front of the line.

    UsageUsed before a noun: a plum job. A plum dress is a color, but a plum job is a great job.

    Similarchoice, prime, coveted, desirable, prize

    Oppositeundesirable, menial, lowly

  7. 7
    fruit treenouncountable
    A tree or bush that grows plums.

    Like an apple tree, but it grows plums instead of apples.

    We planted a young plum near the back fence.

    The old plum still gives fruit every summer.

  8. 8
    completelyadverbcolloquialUS
    Completely or all the way, used to make a word stronger.

    Like saying 'totally' or 'all the way.'

    I'm plum worn out after that long hike.

    She went plum crazy when she heard the news.

    UsagePut it before a word like tired: plum tired. Also spelled plumb.

    Similarcompletely, utterly, totally, absolutely, thoroughly

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of plum apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–7, 9–12

It comes from Old English 'plūme', which came ultimately from Latin 'prūnum'. It is a doublet of 'prune'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Meaning 8

It is a spelling of 'plumb' based on how the word sounds.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact