woodwork

[woo d-wurk]

See more synonyms for woodwork on Thesaurus.com

noun

objects or parts made of wood.
the interior wooden fittings, especially of a house, as doors, stairways, or moldings.

Idioms

come out of the woodwork, Informal. to appear or materialize suddenly and unexpectedly: Since mortgage rates declined, prospective buyers have been coming out of the woodwork.

Origin of woodwork

First recorded in 1640–50; wood¹ + work

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for woodwork

Contemporary Examples

For whatever reason, summertime in New York is when all the ghosts of hip-hop past come out of the woodwork.
Where Have All the Fat Rappers Gone? Or, How Hip-Hop Lost All the Weight.
Emilia Petrarca
August 28, 2013
Romney seems to be bringing liberal Jews out of the woodwork.
Tom Friedman Takes a Left
August 1, 2012
Watch out for window frames and other woodwork picked out in shades of cream or gray-green.
'World' Players' Secret Getaway
William Underhill
July 17, 2011
Before the leaks and girlfriends come out of the woodwork, spill it.
Weiner Should’ve Taken the Letterman Approach
Tricia Romano
June 13, 2011
I was very eager to protect myself from opportunists who may have crawled out of the woodwork to make a quick buck.
Is Dr. Drew a Phony?
Duncan Roy
December 17, 2009

Historical Examples

In the hurry of finishing, some of the woodwork had but one coat of paint.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The carving of the woodwork of these erections is often very elaborate.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
The woodwork down below was rotting, and covered with filth.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
The woodwork was all on fire; soon it would be reduced to bolts and tires.
The Flockmaster of Poison Creek
George W. Ogden
The beams of the low ceiling and the woodwork of the walls had been stained a mellow brown.
Highacres
Jane Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for woodwork

woodwork

noun

the art, craft, or skill of making things in wood; carpentry
components made of wood, such as doors, staircases, etc

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

Word Origin and History for woodwork

n.

"article made of wood," 1640s, from wood (n.) + work (n.).

woodwork

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}woodwork

Examples from the Web for woodwork

Contemporary Examples

For whatever reason, summertime in New York is when all the ghosts of hip-hop past come out of the woodwork.

Romney seems to be bringing liberal Jews out of the woodwork.

Watch out for window frames and other woodwork picked out in shades of cream or gray-green.

Before the leaks and girlfriends come out of the woodwork, spill it.

I was very eager to protect myself from opportunists who may have crawled out of the woodwork to make a quick buck.

Historical Examples

In the hurry of finishing, some of the woodwork had but one coat of paint.

The carving of the woodwork of these erections is often very elaborate.

The woodwork down below was rotting, and covered with filth.

The woodwork was all on fire; soon it would be reduced to bolts and tires.

The beams of the low ceiling and the woodwork of the walls had been stained a mellow brown.

woodwork

Word Origin and History for woodwork

n.

Origin of woodwork