: any of a genus (Tulipa) of Eurasian bulbous herbs of the lily family that have linear or broadly lanceolate leaves and are widely grown for their showy flowers
also
: the flower or bulb of a tulip
Examples of tulip in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two seasons ago, a motley assembly of A-listers including Lewis Hamilton, Zoey Deutch, Nina Dobrev and Jared Leto, arrived to the Antarctic peninsula on a 414-foot mega-yacht, sporting sequin dresses and tuxedos, sipping tulips of champagne.
—
Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Is this even a working tulip farm?
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Raven opts for bulbs in these hues from her own Venetian tulip collection— ‘Prinses Irene’, ‘Couleur Cardinal’, and ‘Havran’.
—Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
Even with tulips and daffodils there are different varieties that bloom at different times.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Oct. 2025
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Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
Is this even a working tulip farm?
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Raven opts for bulbs in these hues from her own Venetian tulip collection— ‘Prinses Irene’, ‘Couleur Cardinal’, and ‘Havran’.
—Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
Even with tulips and daffodils there are different varieties that bloom at different times.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tulip
Cite this Entry
“Tulip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tulip. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tulip
noun
tu·lip
ˈt(y)ü-ləp 
: any of a genus of Eurasian herbs that grow from bulbs, have large lance-shaped leaves, are related to the lilies, and are widely grown for their showy cup-shaped flowers
also
: the flower or bulb of a tulip
Etymology
from scientific Latin tulipa "the tulip," from Turkish tülbent "tulip," literally "turban"
Word Origin
We often think of the tulip as a Dutch flower. The Dutch certainly do grow many tulips, but they first got the plant from Turkey. The Turkish word for the tulip was tülbent, meaning literally "turban." Perhaps it was the flower's shape that reminded the Turks of a turban. Or perhaps it was the bright colors and velvety petals. In any case, scientists picking a universal word for the flower chose the scientific Latin tulipa, taken from the Turkish word. The word came into English from the scientific Latin and was spelled tulip.
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