Joshua tree

American

noun

an evergreen tree, Yucca brevifolia, growing in arid or desert regions of the southwestern U.S., having long, twisted branches.

Joshua tree British

noun

a treelike desert yucca plant, Yucca brevifolia, of the southwestern US, with sword-shaped leaves and greenish-white flowers

"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

Etymology

Origin of Joshua tree

First recorded in 1895–1900

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:

Joshua tree

Walking to the recently burned area, Cummings pointed to a young Joshua tree choked with dry grass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025

The area, not far from Black Rock Campground, is one of the park’s densest Joshua tree woodlands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025

For a brief moment, it appeared the reviled Joshua tree would serve this purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

Explorer John C. Frémont’s 1844 description of the Joshua tree as “the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom” was just the beginning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023