Meaning & use
orchard
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of land where fruit trees are grown, often enclosed and cared for.
Grammar: Countable: an orchard, two orchards.
Patterns
- an apple orchard
- a cherry orchard
- plant an orchard
They bought a small orchard and grew apples and pears.
The orchard was full of blossoming cherry trees in spring.
He spent the afternoon picking plums in his grandfather's orchard.
nouncountable
The trees in such a place, considered as a group.
Grammar: Can refer to the trees themselves: the orchard is thriving.
Patterns
- the orchard is thriving
- the orchard bears fruit
The orchard produced a good crop of apples this year.
After the storm, the orchard needed pruning.
Word forms
| plural | orchards |
|---|
Common combinations
- apple orchard
- The apple orchard stretched for miles.
- cherry orchard
- They visited a cherry orchard in June.
- orchard trees
- The orchard trees were planted in neat rows.
- orchard owner
- The orchard owner sells fresh fruit at the market.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grove
- A grove is a small group of trees, often without the care or fruit focus of an orchard.
- plantation
- A plantation is a large farm, often in the tropics, growing crops like coffee or rubber, not usually fruit trees for fresh eating.
Word family
- orchardist noun
- A person who grows and cares for fruit trees.
Commonly confused: orchard or garden?
orchard vs garden
A garden is a plot for flowers or vegetables; an orchard is specifically for fruit trees.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'orchard' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Orchard' refers to land with fruit trees, so 'apple trees' fits. Tomatoes and wheat are not fruit trees, and a pen for chickens is not an orchard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “orchard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.