Meaning & use
maraschino cherries
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Meanings
nounplural
Small sweet cherries that have been soaked in a thick sugary syrup and are often colored bright red, used to decorate drinks and desserts.
Grammar: Usually plural; the singular form is 'maraschino cherry' and is used when talking about just one.
Patterns
- a jar of maraschino cherries
- top something with a maraschino cherry
She dropped a bright red maraschino cherry into each glass of lemonade.
The sundae came with whipped cream and two maraschino cherries on top.
We bought a jar of maraschino cherries to decorate the cupcakes.
nouncountable
The cherry itself before or after being preserved in this way, especially when used as a garnish.
Grammar: Use the singular 'maraschino cherry' when counting individual pieces.
Patterns
- one maraschino cherry
- a bowl of maraschino cherries
He ate the maraschino cherry first and left the cake.
Each cocktail was finished with a single maraschino cherry.
Word forms
| singular | maraschino cherry |
|---|
Common combinations
- maraschino cherry juice
- The recipe calls for a spoonful of maraschino cherry juice for color.
- maraschino cherry on top
- The waiter placed a maraschino cherry on top of the ice cream.
- jar of maraschino cherries
- I keep a jar of maraschino cherries in the fridge for cocktails.
- bright red maraschino cherries
- The cake was decorated with bright red maraschino cherries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cocktail cherry
- A broader term for any cherry used to garnish drinks; it may not be soaked in the same heavy syrup.
- glacé cherry
- A cherry preserved in sugar syrup but usually not colored bright red and often used in baking rather than drinks.
Word family
- maraschino noun
- A sweet liqueur made from a type of sour cherry, originally from Italy; the cherries are named after it.
- cherry noun
- The general word for the small round fruit, fresh or cooked.
Commonly confused: maraschino cherries or cherry tomato?
maraschino cherries vs cherry tomato
A small round tomato, not a sweet fruit; the word 'cherry' describes its size and shape.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'maraschino cherries' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The singular 'maraschino cherry' is needed after 'a'. Option An is wrong because 'a' cannot go with a plural. Option C is wrong because a countable singular noun needs a determiner like 'a' or 'the'. Option D is grammatically possible but less natural when talking about adding just one cherry.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maraschino cherries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.