big tree

American  

[big tree] / ˈbɪg ˈtri /

noun

1. giant sequoia.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of big tree

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

big tree

I was especially wary of the big tree at the edge of the cliffs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 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

And when she dies, she would like to be reborn, she says, as a big tree.

From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

Eventually someone from each of the big groups stands and approaches Johanna, picking their way carefully over the roots of the big tree.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth