Illustration of graft
- a scion
- b stock
1
a
: a grafted (see graft entry 2 sense transitive 1) plant
b
c
: the point of insertion of a scion upon a stock
grafted; grafting; grafts
1
a
: to cause (a scion) to unite with a stock
also
: to unite (plants or scion and stock) to form a graft
b
: to propagate (see propagate sense transitive 1) (a plant) by grafting
2
: to implant (living tissue) surgically
3
a
: to join or unite as if by grafting
b
: to attach (a chemical unit) to a main molecular chain
grafter
noun
: the acquisition of gain (such as money) in dishonest or questionable ways
also
: illegal or unfair gain
Examples of graft in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2025
At 30 days after implantation, nearly 92 percent of the vessels remained open and functioning, compared with 79 percent for synthetic grafts.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Michael Owen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
That was the year when Fred Popenoe, proprietor of the West India Gardens nursery in Altadena, sent an emissary to Mexico with the task of bringing back budwood cuttings for the purpose of grafting them onto avocado seedlings, with the hope that some would become commercially successful varieties.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for graft 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The Trump administration wants the firings challenged to get the Supreme Court to hold that the president can fire anyone within the executive branch, stripping civil servants of protections fundamentally designed to fight patronage and graft.
—Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2025
At 30 days after implantation, nearly 92 percent of the vessels remained open and functioning, compared with 79 percent for synthetic grafts.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
And the ubiquity of streaming services brought the whole chain together, one suboptimal link after another, landing us in a pre-Stokowski era of audio quality grafted onto a barely fathomable utopia of access: all music, everywhere, in mediocre form.
—Michael Owen, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
That was the year when Fred Popenoe, proprietor of the West India Gardens nursery in Altadena, sent an emissary to Mexico with the task of bringing back budwood cuttings for the purpose of grafting them onto avocado seedlings, with the hope that some would become commercially successful varieties.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for graft
Articles Related to graft
Dictionary Entries Near graft
Cite this Entry
“Graft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graft. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
graft
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to insert a twig or bud from one plant into another plant so that they are joined and grow together
b
: to join one thing to another as if by grafting
graft skin over the burn
2
: to gain money or advantage by graft
grafter
noun
graft
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a grafted plant
b
: the point in a plant where a part that is being grafted is inserted
2
: the act of grafting
3
4
a
: the getting of money or advantage by dishonest means through misuse of an official position
exposed graft in the city government
b
: the money or advantage gained
accused of taking graft
Medical Definition
graft
1 of 2 transitive verb
: to implant (living tissue) surgically
grafted a new piece of artery into the ruptured portion of the old artery
: to perform grafting
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share