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sequoia

American  
[si-kwoi-uh] / sɪˈkwɔɪ ə /
sequoia British  
/ sɪˈkwɔɪə /

noun

  1. either of two giant Californian coniferous trees, Sequoia sempervirens ( redwood ) or Sequoiadendron giganteum (formerly Sequoia gigantea ) ( big tree or giant sequoia ): family Taxodiaceae

"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 sequoia

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; named after Sequoya

Explanation

A sequoia is an ancient, towering redwood tree that grows on the coast of northern California and southern Oregon. Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Before commercial logging destroyed many of them, giant sequoias covered the entire coast of California, filling about two million acres of forest. The remaining trees are among the very oldest things on our planet; some are more than 2,000 years old. Sequoias are massive evergreens, the largest of which is as tall as a 30-story building. The sequoia was named after the Cherokee man, Sequoya, who invented a written form of the Cherokee language in the 1820s.

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Vocabulary lists containing sequoia

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.

Stanford’s endowment, which managed $47.7 billion at the end of June, also gained exposure through other managers, including venture firms Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital, and the hedge fund Darsana, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Anthropic’s latest round was led by Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, Greenoaks and Sequoia Capital — investors who had previously participated in the company’s $30 billion Series G fundraise in February of this year.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

Filmed on location in Sequoia National Park, “Wowsabout” follows live-action puppets Roxy, a hedgehog, and Ronald, a pig, as they go on a camping trip and learn about the marvels of nature.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Spokespeople for Greenoaks and Sequoia declined to comment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

That night at the dinner table, my mom and dad asked me how it was going at Sequoia.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

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