Christmas tree
Americannoun
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an evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights.
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a control board or panel containing a variety of colored lights for indicating the status of various functions, elements, components, etc.
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an elaborate arrangement of pipes, valves, etc., as for controlling the flow of oil or gas.
noun
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an evergreen tree or an imitation of one, decorated as part of Christmas celebrations
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Also called: Christmas bush. any of various trees or shrubs flowering at Christmas and used for decoration
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another name for pohutukawa
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Christmas tree
An Americanism dating back to 1780–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1983, Gene Kelly’s Beverly Hills home was destroyed after a Christmas tree ignited in the middle of the night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 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
One option is to rent a living Christmas tree rather than buying a cut one.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
I was excited because he was bringing home a Christmas tree.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
