noun

• 1A small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant.

  ‘a sprig of holly’

  More example sentences

  • ‘To remove a leaf from its sprig, Patten grasped it gently by the stalk and pulled it back towards the branch of the limb to prevent tree damage.’
  • ‘In 1984 Depue planted a dozen sprigs at Jacob's Fork, a mined mountain that had lain dormant for 20 years in McDowell County.’
  • ‘By the time they leave, they've planted more than 300 sprigs.’
  • ‘Ivy twisted through sprigs of flowers, adding green here and there, and rose trellises climbed the stone walls that encircled the gardens.’
  • ‘In four months, the sprigs they plant will have branches three to four feet long.’
  • ‘The knight wore no armor, but carried a sprig of holly in one hand, and an enormous axe in the other.’
  • ‘The long, white tunic the ghost wears is girded by a belt with a sprig of holly symbolizing winter tucked in it, but spring flowers hem the bottom of the tunic.’
  • ‘He had come in peace, he said, for he carried a sprig of holly and wore no armor.’
  • ‘With not a sprig of holly in sight, it is the perfect anti-pantomime for the festive season.’
  • ‘The task was difficult, as the sprigs were barbed with large thorns, and the fragrant resin stuck to their fingers as they broke the sprigs from the angular branch.’
  • ‘After the tree was done, she turned to the mantle, adding tinsel and pine sprigs to decorate the area around a few red candles.’
  • ‘This is a complex wine that will sparkle as an accompaniment to a tall glass of bone chillingly cold lemon sorbet with sprigs of mint.’
  • ‘This great match of flavours was served with a little sprig of fresh fennel, which led the charge of the other flavours through the creamy goats cheese.’
  • ‘You notice that there wasn't a sprig of parsley or even a strawberry on the plate.’
  • ‘I got the pine sprigs from a tree outside in the courtyard.’
  • ‘He hands out three-foot-long willow sprigs, a half-inch in diameter, cut from trees on the property.’
  • ‘I turned to her and saw that she wore a white dress with little sprigs of wildflowers printed on it.’

  Synonyms

  small stem, spray, twig, branch

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1A descendant or younger member of a family or social class.
     More example sentences

     • ‘a sprig of the French nobility’
  2. 1.2archaic, derogatory A young man.
     More example sentences

     • ‘At the shire-hall new-year celebrations, 15-year-old Ruth Hilton catches the eye of a 23-year-old sprig of the gentry.’
  3. 1.3A small molded decoration applied to a piece of pottery before firing.

transitive verb

• Decorate (pottery) with small, separately molded designs.

noun