English

garden

gb/ɡˈɑɹdən/ us/ɡˈɑɹdən/
A1 English
~ 900
Senses
0 senses
Noun A1 entity
1

Land used for growing plants

A place outside where people grow flowers or food plants.

Usage pattern: a [type of] garden
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'garden' with 'yard' in American English. A 'yard' may not have plants, while a 'garden' usually does.
Synonyms
yard (In American English, 'yard' can mean an outdoor area around a house, sometimes with grass, not necessarily cultivated like a garden.) | park (A public area with plants and trees, usually larger and more open than a garden.)
Antonyms
wilderness (An uncultivated, wild area without human design or planting.)
Collocations
flower garden |vegetable garden |public garden |garden path |garden tools
Themes
daily life |nature |home |daily_life |housing
Examples
  • She spent the afternoon planting roses in the garden.
  • Their garden is full of colorful tulips in the spring.
  • We grow tomatoes and peppers in our back garden.
  • The children played in the garden until sunset.
  • He built a small pond in the middle of the garden.
Learner examples
  • I have flowers in my garden.
  • We eat vegetables from our garden.
  • The children play in the garden.
  • My father works in the garden every weekend.
Noun A2 entity
2

Decorative outdoor plant space

A special outdoor place with plants and paths for people to visit and enjoy.

Usage pattern: visit a [type of] garden
Synonyms
grounds (The landscaped area surrounding a large building or estate.)
Collocations
botanical garden |Japanese garden |palace gardens
Themes
nature |tourism |daily_life
Examples
  • We visited the botanical garden on our trip to the city.
  • The palace gardens are open to the public during summer.
  • The Japanese garden has a beautiful koi pond.
Learner examples
  • We went to the big garden in the city.
  • The park has a small flower garden.
  • Tourists like the palace gardens.
Verb B1 action
3

Work on growing plants outdoors

To work outside planting and caring for flowers or vegetables.

Usage pattern: to garden [in/at] [place]
Synonyms
cultivate (More formal; often refers to preparing land for crops or plants.)
Collocations
garden regularly |garden together
Themes
daily life |hobbies |daily_life |nature |housing
Examples
  • They love to garden on weekends when the weather is nice.
  • She gardens mainly to grow her own vegetables.
  • He started gardening after moving to the countryside.
Learner examples
  • I like to garden in summer.
  • We garden every Sunday morning.
  • My parents garden behind the house.
Noun B1 entity
4

Outdoor enclosed area (non-plant)

An outdoor space with walls or fences used for something special, not always for plants.

Collocations
beer garden
Themes
places |arts_entertainment |animals
Examples
  • We met friends at the beer garden downtown.
  • The restaurant has a small garden for outdoor dining.
Learner examples
  • We ate in the beer garden.
  • The zoo has a bird garden.
Grammar
Dictionary form
garden
IPA
GB/ɡˈɑɹdən/
US/ɡˈɑɹdən/
Syllables & stress
garden (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (garden)
Word forms
Noun
  • Base: garden
  • Plural: gardens
Verb
  • Base: garden
  • 3rd Person Singular: gardens
  • Present Participle: gardening
  • Past: gardened
Word family
Forms
gardens noun gardening verb gardened verb
Core family
gardener noun A2
Related words
outdoor adjective A2
Expressions

beer garden

1
/bˈɪɹ ɡˈɑɹdən/
fixed phrase

Outdoor drinking area at bar/restaurant

An outdoor place where people can drink beer and other drinks, often at a bar or restaurant.

Examples
  • We spent the evening chatting in the beer garden.
  • In summer, the pub opens its large beer garden.

botanical garden

1
/bətˈænɪkəl ɡˈɑɹdən/
fixed phrase

Public scientific plant collection space

A special public place where many kinds of plants are grown and studied.

Examples
  • The city’s botanical garden has rare tropical plants.
  • We took photos of orchids at the botanical garden.

everything in the garden is rosy

1
/ˈɛvɹiθˌɪŋ ˈɪn ðə ɡˈɑɹdən ˈɪz ɹˈoʊzi/
idiom informal

Everything is pleasant and good

Everything is going well and there are no problems.

Examples
  • Don't worry about us — everything in the garden is rosy now.
  • It may look like everything in the garden is rosy, but there are hidden problems.

lead someone up the garden path

1
/lˈid sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈʌp ðə ɡˈɑɹdən pˈæθ/
idiom informal

Deceive or mislead someone

To make someone believe something that is not true.

Examples
  • He led me up the garden path with promises he never kept.
  • They realized too late that they had been led up the garden path by the salesman.

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