variants
or less commonly brier
plural briars also briers
1
: a plant (such as a rose, blackberry, or greenbrier) having a usually woody and thorny or prickly stem
a thicket of briars
… head up an almost invisible trail along the left bank, through young pines and briars.—
Robert F. Jones
see also briar patch
Robert F. Jones2
a
: a mass of briars
… threading his way with perfect skill between tree-trunks, jumping over bush and briar and the smaller streams …—C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis… volunteers methodically searching through the briar and trees …—Roy Bragg
Roy Bragg
b
: a branch or twig of a briar
With my pair of brush cutters that I always carried I cut away enough of the long briars to provide an opening for me to sit comfortably in.—Jean Solbert
Jean Solbert
variants
or briar pipe
plural briars or briar pipes
: a tobacco pipe made from a woody root outgrowth of a shrub-like Mediterranean heath (Erica arborea)
He grinned again and disappeared in a great cloud of pipe smoke. I pulled out my briar and joined him.—Marshall Harrison
Marshall HarrisonSpelling extracts a black briar pipe from his dinner jacket, draws his courtiers closer and says in a tiny voice, "I hate parties. What am I doing here?"—Mary Murphy
Mary MurphyExamples of briar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 July 2024
No race in the world is quite like Barkley, which forces runners to navigate through woods and briars without the support of phones, GPS trackers or regular course markings.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
And in animal news, residents of Springtown, Texas were able to rescue a pig that was trapped in a briar parch after one resident offered a six pack of beer and $100 to whoever could catch it.
—Candi Bolden, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2024
These would be great for any hunter who lives in an area filled with dense thorns and briars.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 1 Nov. 2023
Thorns and briars decorate the dial, which comes alive with the press of a pusher at 8 o’clock.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2023
To prevent calls, strikers, shells, and other items from falling out when belly crawling or maneuvering through brambles and briars, look for pockets with a magnetic or zipper closure.
—Justin Park, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2023
Roses have thorns, and this superbloom has briars too.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
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Noun
The cabin also features dark briar wood trim and door panels and headrests embroidered with a design that combines the Maserati trident with the sun from the Tignanello bottle label.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 July 2024
No race in the world is quite like Barkley, which forces runners to navigate through woods and briars without the support of phones, GPS trackers or regular course markings.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
And in animal news, residents of Springtown, Texas were able to rescue a pig that was trapped in a briar parch after one resident offered a six pack of beer and $100 to whoever could catch it.
—Candi Bolden, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Feb. 2024
These would be great for any hunter who lives in an area filled with dense thorns and briars.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 1 Nov. 2023
Thorns and briars decorate the dial, which comes alive with the press of a pusher at 8 o’clock.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2023
To prevent calls, strikers, shells, and other items from falling out when belly crawling or maneuvering through brambles and briars, look for pockets with a magnetic or zipper closure.
—Justin Park, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2023
Roses have thorns, and this superbloom has briars too.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
Dictionary Entries Near briar
Cite this Entry
“Briar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briar. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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