1
a
: a Mediterranean evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil
also
: the fruit
b
: any of various shrubs and trees resembling the olive
2
: any of several colors resembling that of the unripe fruit of the olive tree that are yellowish green
3
: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata
1
: of the color olive or olive green
2
: approaching olive in color or complexion
Examples of olive in a Sentence
Noun
a sauce made with chopped olives
Does the suit come in olive?
Recent Examples on the Web
Roxanne Fequiere Elissa Suh Maria Geyman Katharine Sohn Jameson Montgomery Zoe Ruffner, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Others put an olive on the Seder plate to recognize solidarity with Palestinians.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for olive 
Noun
Its single-origin beans are now complemented by innovative pastries (get the artichoke, olive and potato bear claw).
—Roxanne Fequiere Elissa Suh Maria Geyman Katharine Sohn Jameson Montgomery Zoe Ruffner, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Others put an olive on the Seder plate to recognize solidarity with Palestinians.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for olive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'olive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near olive
Cite this Entry
“Olive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/olive. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
olive
noun
ol·ive
ˈäl-iv, -əv 
1
: an Old World evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil
also
: the fruit
2
: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata that contains the inferior olive of the same side
called also olivary body
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