noun Uncommon

spruce

sproos

Spruce (noun) means an evergreen conifer tree of the genus Picea, or its wood. Example: “The forest was thick with tall spruce trees.”

noun

An evergreen conifer tree of the genus Picea, or its wood.

"The forest was thick with tall spruce trees."

"Spruce wood is often used to make guitar soundboards."

adj

Neat, trim, and smartly dressed.

"He looked spruce in his new suit for the interview."

verb

To make neater or smarter in appearance, often used with "up".

"They spruced up the old house before putting it on the market."

"She spruced herself up before the big meeting."

How to use spruce

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the evergreen tree, or looking neat and smartly turned out — as a verb, to tidy something up.

Common pairings

spruce up spruce tree looking spruce

Word forms

sprucer comparative, spruced past tense, spruces plural, spruce plural, spruces singular, sprucest superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “spruce” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The forest was thick with tall _____ trees.

Etymology

Originally a name for Prussia in Middle English; the tree was thought to come from there, and "spruce leather" from the same region gave neat-looking jerkins their name, which is how the word came to mean "smart and tidy."

Origin: Middle English

Rhymes for spruce

luce duce deuce sauce truce Bruce deduce reduce seduce induce produce lettuce

See all rhymes for spruce →

Frequently asked questions

What does “spruce” mean?

The word “spruce” means an evergreen conifer tree of the genus Picea, or its wood. In plain terms, either the evergreen tree, or looking neat and smartly turned out — as a verb, to tidy something up.

How do you pronounce “spruce”?

“Spruce” is pronounced sproos (/spɹuːs/ in IPA).

How do you use “spruce” in a sentence?

Here is “spruce” used in a sentence: “The forest was thick with tall spruce trees.”

What part of speech is “spruce”?

Depending on how it is used, “spruce” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.

Where does the word “spruce” come from?

The word “spruce” comes from Middle English.

Is “spruce” a common word?

“Spruce” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “spruce” have?

“Spruce” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an evergreen conifer tree of the genus Picea, or its wood.