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
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.
The holiday serenades, decorations dating back to the 1930s and a Christmas tree with more than 14,000 lights are part of the draw.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 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
In recent weeks, the 63-year-old leftist has been dancing on stage at rallies, calmly strolling trade expos and attending Christmas tree lightings hand-in-hand with his wife.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025
Travis Head – 6 – Started the week on the front of the Herald Sun, pictured with his family in front of a Christmas tree.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
We decided where the invisible Christmas tree would be, and we sat on the floor and pretended we were taking decorations out of boxes and hanging them on the branches.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
