weeping willow

American

noun

an Asian willow, Salix babylonica, characterized by the drooping habit of its branches.

weeping willow British

noun

a hybrid willow tree, Salix alba × S. babylonica , known as S. alba var. tristis , having long hanging branches: widely planted for ornament

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of weeping willow

First recorded in 1725–35

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.

The vast glass-domed exhibition space became a wonderland, with pink weeping willows and oversized toadstools adorning the runway.

From BBC

The vast Grand Palais exhibition space in central Paris was transformed into an enchanted and psychedelic forest populated by giant mushrooms and pink weeping willows.

From Barron's

For now, my memories of our last day together and that big weeping willow are still clear in my mind.

From Literature

By good fortune, instead of being carried past the island and down the river, he was able to catch hold of a low-hanging streamer of weeping willow and pull himself ashore.

From Literature

Next to one of Suzhou’s iconic canals lined with weeping willows sits a repair shop for tabletop electric motors.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023