Meaning

Any plant of the genus Papaver or the family Papaveraceae, with crumpled, often red, petals and a milky juice having narcotic properties; especially a common poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) which has orange-red flowers; the flower of such a plant..

Definitions by Sense

1. Any plant of the genus Papaver or the family Papaveraceae, with crumpled, often red, petals and a milky juice having narcotic properties; especially a common poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) which has orange-red flowers; the flower of such a plant.
2. A bright red colour tinted with orange, like that of the common poppy flower.
3. (chiefly Australia, British, Canada) A simple artificial poppy flower worn in a buttonhole or displayed in other contexts to remember those who died in the two World Wars and other armed conflicts, especially around Remembrance Day/Remembrance Sunday.
4. Of a bright red colour tinted with orange, like that of the common poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas).
5. Having a popping or bursting sound.
6. Of a beverage: resembling soda pop; effervescent, fizzy.
7. Of eyes: protruding, sticking out.
8. (dated) Popular.

Example Sentences

In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row, / That mark our place; […] / If ye break faith with us who die / We shall not sleep, though poppies grow / In Flanders fields.

We cherish, too, the poppy red / That grows on fields where valor led; / It seems to signal to the skies / That blood of heroes never dies, / […] / And now the torch and poppy red / We wear in honor of our dead. / Fear not that ye have died for naught; / We've learned the lesson that ye taught / In Flanders fields.

Troops from the garrison town formed a guard of honour for both sets of players, who emerged for the national anthem with poppies proudly stitched into their tracksuit jackets.

I thought Sparks were great; they were very poppy for Island Records. They were considered an oddity but you have to remember that at the time Roxy Music, now everyone's seminal band, were seen as very poppy.

Word Forms

• poppies
• poppier
• more poppy
• poppiest
• most poppy

Synonyms for poppy

Related Words

When Should You Use Poppy?

Use poppy when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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