topiary

1 of 2

noun

to·​pi·​ary ˈtō-pē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce topiary (audio)
plural topiaries
1
a
: a plant shaped by topiary art
b
: topiary plants
2
: topiary art or gardening
also : a topiary garden

topiary

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or being the practice or art of training, cutting, and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes
also : characterized by such work

Examples of topiary in a Sentence

Noun a garden featuring topiaries and fountains
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Some of the more impressive Flower & Garden Festival displays include enormous character topiaries, featuring classic Disney characters created entirely from living plants and blooms. Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2024 Palm trees, pastel, vests over polo shirts, floral patterns, salmon pants, topiary; couples in athleisure ensembles walked with golden retrievers and copies of the weekend New York Times. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 Expand your space Use a stand-up mirror to take advantage of a pretty view or reflect a special feature in your yard, such as a pool, fountain, flower garden, tree or topiary. Charlotte Observer, 1 Feb. 2024 Potting and Repotting Gardenia Gardenias do well outdoors in containers and can even be pruned into topiaries. Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Jan. 2024 Glue them to foam balls to create the topiaries, or attach them to a straw form to create a DIY pinecone wreath. Kaylei Fear, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Nov. 2023 Local artist Edna Harper has turned her front yard into a topiary. San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023 Advertisement - Continue Reading Below 16 Don’t Forget Your Porch These adorable topiary ducklings from Pottery Barn could be great as a door stop or table decor. Parker Bowie Larson, ELLE Decor, 16 Mar. 2023 Transition the topiaries into the fall season with this next pick. Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023
Adjective
The restaurant is surrounded by trees, topiary bushes for walls, and an array of lighting positioned around the restaurant. Allyson Portee, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2023 The British monarch, 74, is bringing a topiary garden to stand in front of Sandringham House in Norfolk, coming this spring. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2023 These encourage the hoarding and preening of a largely topiary language that can do little aside from signal class, be beautiful, and inhibit certain views. Hannah Gold, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2022 The newest installment is a topiary elephant, a gift from the memorial in honor of her late brother’s Elephant Family charity. Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 27 Sep. 2022 Inside the villa nature resumes its rights: lush foliage, waterfall, topiary garden and a living wall. Cécilia Pelloux, Forbes, 13 May 2022 Later in the season, Coburn will create a second topiary art piece, and a new crop of flowers known as stock will come into bloom. San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2022 With deep green and silver leaves, this non-fruiting olive tree can be coaxed into a hedge or this very proper looking topiary shape. Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020 And now that shrubbery sculpting season is at its height, Petricka also shares top tips for any beginner wanting to try their hand at topiary art. Nancy Ngo, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topiary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin topiarius, from topia ornamental gardening, irregular from Greek topos place

First Known Use

Noun

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of topiary was in 1592

Dictionary Entries Near topiary

Cite this Entry

“Topiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topiary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

topiary

1 of 2 adjective
to·​pi·​ary ˈtō-pē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce topiary (audio)
1
a
: relating to or being the art or practice of topiary
b
: shaped or created by topiary
a topiary elephant
2
: characterized by or containing topiary
a topiary garden

topiary

2 of 2 noun
plural topiaries
1
: the art or practice of training and trimming trees or shrubs into odd or ornamental shapes
2
: a garden or park containing plants shaped by topiary
also : a plant or plants shaped by topiary

More from Merriam-Webster on topiary

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