Definition and Pronunciation
Cherry (pronounced: /ˈtʃɛri/) is a noun with several meanings:
- A small, round, red fruit with a pit.
- Slang for virginity (e.g., “to pop someone’s cherry”).
- Informally, it may also mean something fresh, new, or perfect.
Easy Explanation
“Cherry” usually means the fruit, but in slang it can mean virginity or someone’s first sexual experience. For example, if someone says “he popped his cherry,” they are referring (often crudely) to losing virginity.
Grammatical Formation
- Noun: cherry (singular), cherries (plural).
- Adjective form: cherry-red (bright red).
- Slang: to pop someone’s cherry (to take virginity).
Word Comparisons
- Cherry vs. virginity: cherry = slang or metaphor, virginity = formal word.
- Cherry vs. purity: purity is moral/spiritual; cherry is casual slang.
- Cherry vs. defloration: defloration = old-fashioned/formal; cherry = modern slang.
Connotations
- Neutral: fruit, color, freshness.
- Slang: crude, sexual, often disrespectful.
- Figurative: something new or untouched.
Meaning with Prepositions
- Cherry on: cherry on a cake (literal fruit).
- Cherry in slang: to pop the cherry (loss of virginity).
- Cherry as symbol: a cherry in literature can represent innocence or temptation.
Real-Life Examples
- She ate a sweet cherry from the basket.
- He bought a cherry-red sports car.
- The film used “popping the cherry” as a crude joke about teenage sexuality.
- In poetry, the cherry sometimes represents innocence and fleeting beauty.
Synonyms
fruit (literal), virginity (slang), purity (figurative), innocence (figurative), freshness
Antonyms
experience, maturity, impurity, corruption (figurative, in slang sense)
Related Terms
- Virginity – state of not having had sex.
- Defloration – archaic term for first sexual experience.
- First time – modern, neutral phrase.
- Innocence – broader purity, not just sexual.
Common Collocations
- cherry pie
- cherry-red lips
- pop the cherry (slang)
- cherry blossoms
- sweet cherry wine
Idiomatic and Figurative Usage
- Pop one’s cherry: crude slang for losing virginity.
- Cherry-picked: carefully chosen from the best.
- Cherry blossom: symbol of fleeting youth and beauty.
- Cherry condition: in perfect or new condition.
Sample Sentences
- He ordered a slice of cherry pie.
- Her lips were cherry-red.
- The comedian made a crude joke about popping someone’s cherry.
- The car was still in cherry condition after 20 years.
Connection to Sexuality
Yes. In slang, “cherry” is a metaphor for virginity. “To pop a cherry” refers to the first sexual experience, often linked to breaking the hymen. While common in informal English, the expression is considered vulgar and should be used cautiously.
Sexopedia.co is an educational glossary of sexual and gender-related terms—helping you improve your English while deepening your understanding of identity, language, and self-expression.