hardwood

[ hahrd-wood ]

/ ˈhɑrdˌwʊd /

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See synonyms for hardwood on Thesaurus.com

noun

the hard, compact wood or timber of various trees, as the oak, cherry, maple, or mahogany.

a tree yielding such wood.

adjective

made or constructed of hardwood: a hardwood floor.

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Origin of hardwood

First recorded in 1560–70; hard + wood¹

Words nearby hardwood

hard wheat, Hardwick, Hardwick Hall, hard-wired, hardwiring, hardwood, hardworking, hardy, hardy ageratum, hard yards, Hardy-Weinberg law

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hardwood in a sentence

Always turn it off before running it over hardwood floors to avoid scratching.
Best upright vacuum: Clean your house quickly and comfortably|PopSci Commerce Team|March 5, 2021|Popular-Science
If the area under your sink is a hodgepodge of spray bottles and solvents meant to clean your hardwood floors, carpets, appliances, and upholstery, it may be time to downsize by upgrading.
Best steam cleaner: For floors and furniture that look close to new|PopSci Commerce Team|March 5, 2021|Popular-Science
The property bordered a small hardwood forest, which, as luck would have it, was strewn with precut rounds of timber.
How to Find Zen by Splitting and Stacking Wood|Martin Fritz Huber|March 1, 2021|Outside Online
I shuffle past evergreens laden with snow and hardwoods glazed in hoar frost.
Skiing West Virginia’s ‘Canadian Valley’ in a banner season|John Briley|February 18, 2021|Washington Post

They planted stands of fire-resistant hardwood species that stood like sentinels, blocking waves of flame.
What the complex math of fire modeling tells us about the future of California’s forests|Amy Nordrum|January 18, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The Varsity Chiefs are awesome, and the engine for this devastating hardwood machine is point guard Buell Robinson.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own|Robert Silverman|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They sat stock-still on the hardwood benches of the dank, makeshift cinema in Monrovia.
Liberian Nostalgia for War Criminal Charles Taylor|Finlay Young|April 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Watch as the commander-in-chief hits the hardwood in a 3-on-3 tournament with a group of local high school students.
Obama’s 11 Most Badass Moments (Videos)|Brittany Jones-Cooper|April 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That said, it is a chic alternative to hardwood floors and baby blues.
Gal With a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|June 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The land contained a rare hardwood forest that had been targeted for logging.
Paulson's Puzzling New Strategy: Save the Rainforests|William D. Cohan|October 21, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Hardwood trees shed their leaves annually, and they are called deciduous trees.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
A gentle breath from heaven makes the basket decline a little and the ropes creak against the hardwood clinch blocks.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith
All hardwood finish, teak rail, well found, and just the ticket for the island trade.
Captain Scraggs|Peter B. Kyne
They crossed swamps and wormed through alder swales, coming out again on pine and hardwood ridges.
The Boss of Wind River|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
Wax your hardwood floors and keep them shining like mirrors; if rugs are scarce they will be a good apology.
Suppers|Paul Pierce

British Dictionary definitions for hardwood

hardwood

/ (ˈhɑːdˌwʊd) /

noun

the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc, as distinguished from the wood of a conifer

any tree from which this wood is obtained

Compare softwood

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

Scientific definitions for hardwood

hardwood

[ härd′wud′ ]

A eudicot or magnoliid tree, especially as distinguished from a coniferous, or softwood, tree.

The wood of a eudicot or magnoliid tree. Hardwoods are in general harder than softwood. However, some hardwoods, such as basswood, are comparatively soft, while some softwoods, such as yew, are comparatively hard.

hardwood

Origin of hardwood

Words nearby hardwood

Words related to hardwood

How to use hardwood in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hardwood

Scientific definitions for hardwood