big tree

American  

[big tree] / ˈbɪg ˈtri /

noun

1. giant sequoia.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of big tree

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

big tree

Sloterbeck has been surveying regional Christmas tree sellers since 2003, an idea that came from a Colorado-based client whose family owned a big tree farm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Van Pelt, 64, has built a reputation as a preeminent big tree authority by bushwhacking deep into forests and scaling giants taller than the Statue of Liberty to study and sketch them.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2023

"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

It was too late to return to Sir Ector’s castle, or even to get back to the outlaws’ camp by the big tree.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White