Wood Definition & Meaning

American

British

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms wood 1 American [wood] / wʊd /

noun

1. the hard, fibrous substance composing most of the stem and branches of a tree or shrub, and lying beneath the bark; the xylem.

2. the trunks or main stems of trees as suitable for architectural and other purposes; timber or lumber.

3. firewood.

4. the cask, barrel, or keg, as distinguished from the bottle.

   aged in the wood.

5. woodblock.

6. Music.

   1. a woodwind instrument.

   2. the section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwinds.

7. (used with a singular or plural verb) Often woods a large and thick collection of growing trees; a grove or forest.

   They picnicked in the woods.

8. Golf. a club with a wooden head, as a driver, brassie, spoon, or baffy for hitting long shots.

adjective

1. made of wood; wooden.

2. used to store, work, or carry wood.

   a wood chisel.

3. dwelling or growing in woods.

   wood bird.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or plant with trees.

2. to supply with wood; get supplies of wood for.

verb (used without object)

1. to take in or get supplies of wood (often followed byup ).

   to wood up before the approach of winter.

idioms

1. knock on wood, (used when knocking on something wooden to assure continued good luck): Also touch wood.

   The car's still in good shape, knock on wood.

2. have the wood on, to have an advantage over or have information that can be used against.

3. out of the woods,

   1. out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation; secure; safe.

   2. no longer in precarious health or critical condition; out of danger and recovering.

wood 2 American [wood] / wʊd /

adjective

Archaic.

1. wild, as with rage or excitement.

2. mad; insane.

Wood 3 American [wood] / wʊd /

noun

1. Grant, 1892–1942, U.S. painter.

2. Leonard, 1860–1927, U.S. military doctor and political administrator.

wood 1 British / wʊd /

noun

1. the hard fibrous substance consisting of xylem tissue that occurs beneath the bark in trees, shrubs, and similar plants

2. the trunks of trees that have been cut and prepared for use as a building material

3. a collection of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, etc, usually dominated by one or a few species of tree: usually smaller than a forest

   an oak wood

4. fuel; firewood

5. golf

   1. a long-shafted club with a broad wooden or metal head, used for driving: numbered from 1 to 7 according to size, angle of face, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a wood shot

6. tennis squash badminton the frame of a racket

   he hit a winning shot off the wood

7. one of the biased wooden bowls used in the game of bowls

8. music short for woodwind See also woods

9. 1. casks, barrels, etc, made of wood

   2. (of a beverage) from a wooden container rather than a metal or glass one

10. informal to have an advantage over

11. clear of or safe from dangers or doubts

    we're not out of the wood yet

12. (used with a negative) to obtain a general view of a situation, problem, etc, without allowing details to cloud one's analysis

    he can't see the wood for the trees

13. (modifier) made of, used for, employing, or handling wood

    a wood fire

14. (modifier) dwelling in, concerning, or situated in a wood

    a wood nymph

"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

verb

1. (tr) to plant a wood upon

2. to supply or be supplied with fuel or firewood

"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 Wood 2 British / wʊd /

noun

1. Mrs Henry , married name of Ellen Price . 1814–87, British novelist, noted esp for the melodramatic novel East Lynne (1861)

2. Sir Henry ( Joseph ). 1869–1944, English conductor, who founded the Promenade Concerts in London

3. John, known as the Elder . 1707–54, British architect and town planner, working mainly in Bath, where he designed the North and South Parades (1728) and the Circus (1754)

4. his son, John , known as the Younger . 1727–82, British architect: designed the Royal Crescent (1767–71) and the Assembly Rooms (1769–71), Bath

5. Ralph. 1715–72, British potter, working in Staffordshire, who made the first toby jug (1762)

"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 wood 3 British / wʊd /

adjective

1. obsolete raging or raving like a maniac

"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

Related Words

See forest.

Other Word Forms

• woodless adjective

Etymology

Origin of wood1

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English wudu, earlier widu; cognate with Old Norse vithr, Old High German witu, Old Irish fid

Origin of wood2

First recorded before 900; Middle English wod(e), wodde, Old English wōd; cognate with Old Norse ōthr “mad, frantic”; akin to German Wut “rage,” Old English wōth “song” (because it was due to inspired madness; enthusiast ( def. ) )

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.

Like: George Washington really did have false teeth, but they weren’t wood, as many people believed, but gold, ivory, and even other human teeth.

From Literature

When we started sanding the wood, it was easy to keep him busy because that was a job he could do.

From Literature

The goal isn’t to displace us, but to import communal artistry — Kenyan wood and beadwork can be found in the pathways, resting spaces and more — as a show of admiration rather than imitation.

From Los Angeles Times

The striking 18th Century building is surrounded by 2,000 acres of gardens, woods and farmland near Cumnock in East Ayrshire.

From BBC

Five posed as construction workers, when the real ones took off, and hid a microphone between the wood bin and the fireplace.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lumber
• timber
• woodland

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.