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• wood
  wood

  noun

  the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.
• Wood
  Wood

  noun

  Grant, 1892–1942, U.S. painter.

wood

¹ American  

[wood] / wʊd /

noun

1. the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.

2. the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes; timber or lumber.

3. firewood.

4. the cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle.

   aged in the wood.

5. woodblock.

6. Music.

   1. a woodwind instrument.

   2. the section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwinds.

7. (used with a singular or plural verb) Often woods a large and thick collection of growing trees; a grove or forest.

   They picnicked in the woods.

8. Golf. a club with a wooden head, as a driver, brassie, spoon, or baffy for hitting long shots.

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adjective

1. made of wood; wooden.

2. used to store, work, or carry wood.

   a wood chisel.

3. dwelling or growing in woods.

   wood bird.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or plant with trees.

2. to supply with wood; get supplies of wood for.

verb (used without object)

1. to take in or get supplies of wood (often followed byup ).

   to wood up before the approach of winter.

idioms

1. knock on wood, (used when knocking on something wooden to assure continued good luck): Also touch wood.

   The car's still in good shape, knock on wood.

2. have the wood on, to have an advantage over or have information that can be used against.

3. out of the woods,

   1. out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation; secure; safe.

   2. no longer in precarious health or critical condition; out of danger and recovering.

wood ² American  

[wood] / wʊd /

adjective

Archaic.

1. wild, as with rage or excitement.

2. mad; insane.

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Wood ³ American  

[wood] / wʊd /

noun

1. Grant, 1892–1942, U.S. painter.

2. Leonard, 1860–1927, U.S. military doctor and political administrator.

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wood ¹ British  

/ wʊd /

noun

1. the hard fibrous substance consisting of xylem tissue that occurs beneath the bark in trees, shrubs, and similar plants

2. the trunks of trees that have been cut and prepared for use as a building material

3. a collection of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, etc, usually dominated by one or a few species of tree: usually smaller than a forest

   an oak wood

4. fuel; firewood

5. golf

   1. a long-shafted club with a broad wooden or metal head, used for driving: numbered from 1 to 7 according to size, angle of face, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a wood shot

6. tennis squash badminton the frame of a racket

   he hit a winning shot off the wood

7. one of the biased wooden bowls used in the game of bowls

8. music short for woodwind See also woods

9. 1. casks, barrels, etc, made of wood

   2. (of a beverage) from a wooden container rather than a metal or glass one

10. informal to have an advantage over

11. clear of or safe from dangers or doubts

    we're not out of the wood yet

12. (used with a negative) to obtain a general view of a situation, problem, etc, without allowing details to cloud one's analysis

    he can't see the wood for the trees

13. (modifier) made of, used for, employing, or handling wood

    a wood fire

14. (modifier) dwelling in, concerning, or situated in a wood

    a wood nymph

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verb

1. (tr) to plant a wood upon

2. to supply or be supplied with fuel or firewood

Wood ² British  

/ wʊd /

noun

1. Mrs Henry , married name of Ellen Price . 1814–87, British novelist, noted esp for the melodramatic novel East Lynne (1861)

2. Sir Henry ( Joseph ). 1869–1944, English conductor, who founded the Promenade Concerts in London

3. John, known as the Elder . 1707–54, British architect and town planner, working mainly in Bath, where he designed the North and South Parades (1728) and the Circus (1754)

4. his son, John , known as the Younger . 1727–82, British architect: designed the Royal Crescent (1767–71) and the Assembly Rooms (1769–71), Bath

5. Ralph. 1715–72, British potter, working in Staffordshire, who made the first toby jug (1762)

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wood ³ British  

/ wʊd /

adjective

1. obsolete raging or raving like a maniac

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Synonym Usage

See forest.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• woodless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of wood¹

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English wudu, earlier widu; cognate with Old Norse vithr, Old High German witu, Old Irish fid

Origin of wood²

First recorded before 900; Middle English wod(e), wodde, Old English wōd; cognate with Old Norse ōthr “mad, frantic”; akin to German Wut “rage,” Old English wōth “song” (because it was due to inspired madness; cf. enthusiast ( def. ))

Example Sentences

The author also contends that recessions don’t cleanse or restructure economies, the way wildfires clear forests of their dead wood.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

“I was inspired by my grandfather’s place in the South of France, so I went for that rustic Mediterranean feel—a lot of wood and stone—and worked in a Moroccan vibe,” she explained.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

The croissant I ordered was fine, but the atmosphere was lovely — open and airy with a communal wood table inside and green and white bistro chairs outside.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

According to local media, the Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility was also the scene of a major fire in July 2023, when piles of wood at the site burned for days.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Tansy reached for the cowbell to give me a double clang when we all heard a sudden sound from outside: a splintering of wood and a screech, then a howl from J.W.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• lumber
• timber
• woodland