as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
pruned the dead branches from the old apple tree
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Recent Examples of prune
By contrast, late winter and spring bloomers must not be pruned now because doing so would put a damper on their flower show.
—
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2025
Find out how to prune fruit trees properly, plus tips for timing your pruning right.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
Trump officials say the effort will prune hundreds of billions in spending and curtail fraud.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
Complete all deciduous fruit tree pruning and learn how to thin the peach crop.
63.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2025
Find out how to prune fruit trees properly, plus tips for timing your pruning right.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2025
Trump officials say the effort will prune hundreds of billions in spending and curtail fraud.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025
Complete all deciduous fruit tree pruning and learn how to thin the peach crop.
63.
—Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prune
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prune
Verb
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One hirsute San Francisco regular, Richard, kept changing his hair and shaving his face over the course of the shoot.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
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If needed, lightly holding your skin taut should be enough to shave the area without excessively stretching or pulling at it.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Within the scheme’s first week, traffic had fallen by 7.5%, with 273,000 fewer cars entering Manhattan’s central business district, and travel times on inbound river crossings had been cut by more than a third, leading to faster bus journeys.—
Laurie Winkless,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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But dramatically cutting calories isn’t practical for most people.—
Alice Park,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But the president could ask Education Secretary , , to trim the department within more narrow legal confines.—
Andrew Stanton,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
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Some parks have already trimmed hours or offerings, and some park visitors have already reported longer waits to enter parks ahead of their busy season.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Wells and other workers mow the area several times a year to kill these intruders.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2025
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Most people, however, head the opposite way, mowing an inch or more too high.—
Neil Sperry,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prune.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prune. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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