Meaning & use
Mayflower
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
The ship that carried English settlers to North America in 1620.
Grammar: Used with 'the' and a capital M and F: the Mayflower sailed in 1620.
Patterns
- the Mayflower sailed from somewhere
- sail on the Mayflower
The Mayflower left Plymouth in September 1620.
Her ancestors came over on the Mayflower.
A replica of the Mayflower is moored in the harbor.
nouncountable
A trailing plant with white or pink flowers that bloom in spring.
Grammar: Usually lowercase when it means the plant: mayflowers grow in the woods.
Patterns
- mayflowers bloom
- a patch of mayflowers
Mayflowers were blooming along the forest path.
She picked a few mayflowers for the table.
Word forms
| plural | Mayflowers |
|---|
Common combinations
- sail on the Mayflower
- They sailed on the Mayflower to reach the New World.
- a Mayflower descendant
- He is proud to be a Mayflower descendant.
- the Mayflower Compact
- The Mayflower Compact was signed aboard the ship.
- mayflowers in bloom
- The hillside was covered with mayflowers in bloom.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Pilgrim ship
- A descriptive phrase rather than a name; use it only when you are explaining what the Mayflower was.
Word family
- Mayflower Compact proper noun
- The 1620 agreement signed by the settlers aboard the ship.
Commonly confused: Mayflower or mayflower?
Mayflower vs mayflower
Written with a lowercase m, this usually means the spring flower, not the ship; capital letters signal the historic vessel.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Mayflower' correctly for the historic ship?
Choose one answer.
'The Mayflower' with capitals names the 1620 ship, so sentence B fits. The others use it for a plant or as a random noun, which does not match the historic meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Mayflower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.