tree

[ tree ]

/ tri /

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noun

a plant having a permanently woody main stem or trunk, ordinarily growing to a considerable height, and usually developing branches at some distance from the ground.

any of various shrubs, bushes, and plants, as the banana, resembling a tree in form and size.

something resembling a tree in shape, as a clothes tree or a crosstree.

Mathematics, Linguistics. tree diagram.

family tree.

a pole, post, beam, bar, handle, or the like, as one forming part of some structure.

a shoetree or boot tree.

a saddletree.

a treelike group of crystals, as one forming in an electrolytic cell.

a gallows or gibbet.

the cross on which Christ was crucified.

Computers. a data structure organized like a tree whose nodes store data elements and whose branches represent pointers to other nodes in the tree.

Christmas tree.

verb (used with object), treed, tree·ing.

to drive into or up a tree, as a pursued animal or person.

Informal. to put into a difficult position.

to stretch or shape on a tree, as a boot.

to furnish (a structure) with a tree.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about tree

up a tree, Informal. in a difficult or embarrassing situation; at a loss; stumped.

Origin of tree

before 900; Middle English; Old English trēo(w); cognate with Old Frisian, Old Norse trē,Old Saxon treo,Gothic triu; akin to Greek drŷs oak, Sanskrit, Avestan dru wood

OTHER WORDS FROM tree

treelike, adjective

Words nearby tree

Treblinka, trebuchet, trecento, tre corde, tredecillion, tree, tree-and-branch, tree aster, tree creeper, tree cricket, treed

Other definitions for tree (2 of 2)

Tree

[ tree ]

/ tri /

noun

Sir Herbert Beer·bohm

[beer-bohm], /ˈbɪər boʊm/, Herbert Beerbohm, 1853–1917, English actor and theater manager; brother of Max Beerbohm.

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

How to use tree in a sentence

These trees grow right along the coastline, their long, stilt-like roots stretching down into the water.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students
That’s nearly two-thirds of the state’s 33 million acres of forests and trees, and six times the area that has burned so far this year.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead.|James Temple|September 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Untie the rock, work the cord down the length of the branch until it’s at least five feet from the tree, and then tie one end to your food sack.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
Instead, Reed Hastings thinks of it as a tree — but not in the way you might think.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics

The phones in the trees contain the Flex app and are synched with other phones belonging to the drivers.
The bizarre reason Amazon drivers are hanging phones in trees near Whole Foods|Jeff|September 1, 2020|Fortune
Plenty of Jewish kids today grow up with a Christmas tree next to their menorah.
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His most recommended plant was tree ivy—its juices sprayed up the nostrils.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures|Justin Jones|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bohac vowed to that when he came back next year there would be no confusion about any Christmas tree or Santa aprons.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you Google “Muslim Christmas tree star” you will see a list of right-wing websites wetting their pants over this.
Why Muslims Love Jesus Too|Dean Obeidallah|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Civilians left flowers as well as a tiny frosted Christmas tree that had two red ornaments.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This tiny person spent little or none of his time in the tree-tops, but chose to stay near the ground.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Each tiny tree was a plume of leaves; the rows stretched out to the hilltop, and over.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Wide and straight, well made and tree-lined throughout, it supplied the two great arteries of Indian life.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
I saw every crook in the fence, every rut in the road, every bush and tree long before we came to it.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
It was supposed by many on its discovery to grow like the engraving given—in form resembling a tree or shrub rather than an herb.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for tree (1 of 2)

tree

/ (triː) /

noun

any large woody perennial plant with a distinct trunk giving rise to branches or leaves at some distance from the groundRelated adjective: arboreal

any plant that resembles this but has a trunk not made of wood, such as a palm tree

a wooden post, bar, etc

See family tree, shoetree, saddletree

chem a treelike crystal growth; dendrite

a branching diagrammatic representation of something, such as the grammatical structure of a sentence
(as modifier)a tree diagram

an archaic word for gallows

archaic the cross on which Christ was crucified

at the top of the tree in the highest position of a profession, etc

up a tree US and Canadian informal in a difficult situation; trapped or stumped

verb trees, treeing or treed (tr)

to drive or force up a tree

to shape or stretch (a shoe) on a shoetree

Derived forms of tree

treeless, adjectivetreelessness, nountreelike, adjective

Word Origin for tree

Old English trēo; related to Old Frisian, Old Norse trē, Old Saxon trio, Gothic triu, Greek doru wood, drus tree

British Dictionary definitions for tree (2 of 2)

Tree

/ (triː) /

noun

Sir Herbert Beerbohm . 1853–1917, English actor and theatre manager; half-brother of Sir Max Beerbohm. He was noted for his lavish productions of Shakespeare

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 tree

tree

[ trē ]

Any of a wide variety of perennial plants typically having a single woody stem, and usually branches and leaves. Many species of both gymnosperms (notably the conifers) and angiosperms grow in the form of trees. The ancient forests of the Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian periods of the Paleozoic Era were dominated by trees belonging to groups of seedless plants such as the lycophytes. The strength and height of trees are made possible by the supportive conductive tissue known as vascular tissue.

Other Idioms and Phrases with tree

tree

see bark up the wrong tree; can't see the forest for the trees; talk someone's arm off (the bark off a tree); up a tree.

tree

Idioms about tree

Origin of tree

OTHER WORDS FROM tree

Words nearby tree

Other definitions for tree (2 of 2)

Words related to tree

How to use tree in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tree (1 of 2)

Derived forms of tree

Word Origin for tree

British Dictionary definitions for tree (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for tree

Other Idioms and Phrases with tree