Meaning & use
petunias
Last updated
“petunias” is a form of “petunia”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Plants with colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in summer, often grown in gardens and containers.
Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is petunia. Use petunias for more than one plant or flower.
Patterns
- grow petunias
- plant petunias
- petunias in a hanging basket
She planted bright pink petunias along the front path.
The garden center sells petunias in hanging baskets every spring.
After the rain, the petunias looked fresh and full of color.
nouncountable
The flowers of these plants, often used as a mass of color in gardens.
Grammar: Also countable; you can say a petunia for one flower. Petunias as flowers are usually plural in everyday speech.
Patterns
- pick petunias
- a bed of petunias
He picked a few petunias to put in a small vase.
The flowerbed was a mix of petunias and marigolds.
Word forms
| singular | petunia |
|---|
Common combinations
- grow petunias
- They grow petunias from seed every year.
- plant petunias
- We planted petunias around the mailbox.
- hanging basket of petunias
- A hanging basket of petunias hung by the door.
- trailing petunias
- Trailing petunias spill over the edge of the pot.
- petunia bed
- The petunia bed needs watering every morning.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- petunia noun
- Singular form: one plant or flower.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses petunias correctly.
Choose one answer.
Petunias is a countable plural, so it takes a plural verb and can follow 'the'. Option 1 is correct because 'the petunias' agrees with 'basket' (one basket) and the plural noun. Option 3 is also grammatical but uses a plural 'baskets' with a singular 'basket' in the phrase, which is inconsistent; option 0 is the best fit. Option 2 is wrong because 'petunia' is singular and does not match 'baskets'. Option 4 is wrong because 'petunia' needs an article or plural form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petunias”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.