herb
noun
a flowering plant whose stem above ground does not become woody.
herb
1 American
[urb, hurb]
/ ɜrb, hɜrb /
Herb
2
American
[hurb]
/ hɜrb /
noun
herb
British
/ ɜːrb, hɜːb /
noun
-
a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season; herbaceous plant
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-
any of various usually aromatic plants, such as parsley, rue, and rosemary, that are used in cookery and medicine
-
( as modifier )
a herb garden
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-
a slang term for marijuana
herb
Scientific
/ ûrb /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of herb
1250–1300; Middle English herbe < Old French erbe, herbe < Latin herba
Explanation
What do food, medicine, and perfume have in common? Well, they all can be created from herbs. An herb is a plant that has a soft rather than a woody stem, and it tends to have a unique taste or smell. There are many kinds of plants, but one that you've likely seen mentioned on a menu or ad for a medical treatment is the herb. Herbs are distinguished from other plants by their stem, which does not become permanent and woody; instead, it stays soft. Many herbs are used in cooking, such as basil and thyme, because they add flavor to foods. Many herbs, like ginseng and chamomile, are used in tea and are believed to be good for your health.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Thyme and honey belong to a mutual admiration society, as do berries and buttermilk; the woodiness of the herb plays beautifully against tangy yogurt, while orange zest somehow charms the entire table.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Lev Sercarz is fond of adding fenugreek, a fiber-rich herb, to hot or cold water to make a particularly bold-tasting infusion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The review suggests that the herb may do more than slow hair loss.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 7, 2026
The meal began with a garden herb velouté paired with a hearts of palm salad, followed by an ravioli dish featuring herbs from the White House garden.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
On the way there, Mariam saw herb shops, and open-fronted cubbyholes where shoppers bought oranges and pears, books, shawls, even falcons.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Cohen, a Democrat, faces challenger Herb Morgan, a Republican from San Diego, in the Nov. 3 election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Can we do a little Herb Alpert trivia to finish?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
As for “The Way of the World,” writer Herb Powell says lovingly, “I can listen to it and just feel my heart chakra just open up.”
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
As the late economist Herb Stein famously observed, if something can’t go on forever, it will stop.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
At a physics department reception on New Year’s Day, he pulled Herb York aside.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Crisp, with notes of green apple and ripe pear and a kiss of pepper and herbs, it pairs with everything from seafood to salad to schnitzel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Remains from herbs and woody plants were also uncommon.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Agricultural produce commonly exported includes mangoes, avocados, herbs and grapes.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Change the herbs accordingly: chives and parsley are excellent with giardiniera, while Mexican-style pickled carrots practically beg for cilantro and oregano.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Most of all, he thought about a hut in the swamp with a warm fire and racks of drying herbs and drakon jerky.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
