big tree

American  

[big tree] / ˈbɪg ˈtri /

noun

1. giant sequoia.

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big tree British  

noun

1. Also called: giant sequoia.   wellingtonia.  a giant Californian coniferous tree, Sequoiadendron giganteum , with a wide tapering trunk and thick spongy bark: family Taxodiaceae . It often reaches a height of 90 metres See also sequoia

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Etymology

Origin of big tree

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

Sloterbeck has been surveying regional Christmas tree sellers since 2003, an idea that came from a Colorado-based client whose family owned a big tree farm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

"I'm seeing a lot more trees down. And there's a big tree that just fell over there, and I probably shouldn't be out here."

From Reuters • Aug. 21, 2023

Sands had his cellphone — it was perched on a rock beneath a big tree.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2023

Arlene and Robert Grafilo fled to Centre 200 with their children, ages 3 and 10, after a big tree toppled on their duplex apartment.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2022

With tears in my eyes, I told them that I just couldn’t cut the big tree down.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls