Woodstock

American  

[wood-stok] / ˈwʊdˌstɒk /

noun

1. a town in northeastern Illinois.

2. a rock music festival held in August of 1969 in Bethel, N.Y., a town near Woodstock, N.Y.

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Woodstock British  

/ ˈwʊdstɒk /

noun

1. a town in New York State, the site of a large rock festival in August 1969. Pop: 6253 (2003 est)

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Woodstock Cultural  

1. A village in New York state, where some 400,000 young people assembled in 1969 for a rock music festival.

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The size of the crowd and the prevalence of hippie dress and customs led to use of the term Woodstock nation to indicate the youth counterculture of the late 1960s.

The term Woodstock is now used loosely to mean a large, impromptu gathering.

Example Sentences

He died at his home in Woodstock, New York, on Monday afternoon according to a statement from his publicist, who called him "one of the most honored and influential figures in American music".

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Founded in Woodstock, N.Y., in 2021, Moonrise makes bagels stuffed with fillings like tomato sauce and cheese.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Sir Stephen Fry, Hay Festival president, described the event as a "carnival of ideas", while former US President Bill Clinton once called it the "Woodstock of the mind".

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

With this police run-in, Country Joe and the Fish received a slew of press, riling up the public ahead of their Woodstock performance.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

Members of Jefferson Airplane onstage at Woodstock, 1969.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge