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
1
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
1
Neat, trim, and smartly dressed.
"He looked spruce in his new suit for the interview."
verb
1
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 notesIn 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
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Word forms
- Plural
- spruces
- Third person singular
- spruces
- Past tense
- spruced
- Comparative
- sprucer
- Superlative
- sprucest
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."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for spruce
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.
