mimosa

noun

mi·​mo·​sa mə-ˈmō-sə How to pronounce mimosa (audio)
mī-, 
-zə
1
: any of a genus (Mimosa) of trees, shrubs, and herbs of the legume family that occur in tropical and warm regions and have usually bipinnate often prickly leaves and globular heads of small white or pink flowers
2
: silk tree
3
: a mixed drink consisting of champagne and orange juice

Examples of mimosa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Light or zero-alcohol drinks include mimosas in flavors like pomegranate and lychee, and mocktails that blend fresh fruit with herbs and soda. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026 Sit in the garden, and flag down the roaming mimosa and caviar carts. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 3 Aug. 2026 Grab a seat with an ocean view on the Pacific Terrace and sip a mimosa while planning your day. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 Crawford begins with a mimosa before Champagne arrives with the meal. — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mimosa

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin mimus mime

First Known Use

circa 1731, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mimosa was circa 1731

Rhymes for mimosa

See All Rhymes for mimosa

Browse Nearby Words

mimographer
mimosa
Mimosaceae
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mimosa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mimosa. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

mimosa

noun
mi·​mo·​sa mə-ˈmō-sə How to pronounce mimosa (audio)
mī-, 
-zə
: any of a genus of trees, shrubs, and herbs of the legume family that are found in warm regions and have small white or pink flowers in ball-shaped heads

More from Merriam-Webster on mimosa

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mimosa

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All