Meaning & use
plum
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Meanings
nouncountable
A soft, round fruit with smooth purple, red, or yellow skin and a single hard stone.
Grammar: Countable; can be used in compounds like 'plum tree' or 'plum jam'.
Patterns
- a plum
- plums
- plum tree
She bought a basket of ripe plums at the market.
The plum was so juicy that it dripped down her chin.
We have a plum tree in our backyard.
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Highly desirable or especially favorable, said of a job, role, or opportunity.
Grammar: Used before a noun; not usually gradable.
Patterns
- a plum job
- a plum role
- a plum assignment
After years of hard work, he landed a plum job in the city.
She was offered a plum role in the new Broadway musical.
The committee gave him the plum assignment of organizing the conference.
Word forms
| plural | plums |
|---|
Common combinations
- plum job
- He was lucky to get such a plum job right after graduation.
- plum tree
- The plum tree blossoms in early spring.
- plum pudding
- Plum pudding is a traditional British Christmas dessert.
- ripe plum
- The ripe plum was sweet and tender.
Synonyms and how they differ
- prune
- A prune is a dried plum; the fresh fruit is called a plum.
Word family
- plummy adjective
- Resembling or characteristic of a plum, often used to describe a rich, fruity flavor or a posh accent.
Commonly confused: plum or plumb?
plum vs plumb
Plumb is a verb or adverb meaning to measure depth or exactly; it sounds the same as plum but has a different meaning and spelling.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'plum' correctly to mean a desirable job?
Choose one answer.
In option 1, 'plum' is an adjective meaning highly desirable, modifying 'position'. The other options use 'plum' as a noun referring to the fruit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plum”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.