Christmas tree

American  

noun

• Christmas trees
  plural

1. an evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights.

2. a control board or panel containing a variety of colored lights for indicating the status of various functions, elements, components, etc.

3. an elaborate arrangement of pipes, valves, etc., as for controlling the flow of oil or gas.

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Christmas tree British  

noun

1. an evergreen tree or an imitation of one, decorated as part of Christmas celebrations

2. Also called: Christmas bush.  any of various trees or shrubs flowering at Christmas and used for decoration

3. another name for pohutukawa

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Christmas trees
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Christmas tree

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Christmas tree

When his older brother was killed in Korea and his father put the casket by the Christmas tree …

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026

In the live, as the members sit around a table of food with a Christmas tree in the background, talk turns to how 2025 is ending and the new year is around the corner.

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2026

“I don’t want to be mean, but … the Christmas tree is up,” Sugarman continued, looking at the snap.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026

Takaichi made cookies and origami animals for the office staff, said Ramlow, who keeps two paper cranes Takaichi made and hangs them on a Christmas tree every year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

It was December, and there’d been a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the dance hall, bright with white bulbs and an illuminated star on top.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez