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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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

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

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

A few days earlier, activists from the group targeted the Ritz Hotel, dumping bags of manure beside its Christmas tree.

From BBC Mar. 5, 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

She was dolled up like a Christmas tree in a red velvet skirt, a red and white striped waist, and a red velvet hat trimmed in real holly.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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