What does "tree" mean?
A perennial woody plant taller and larger than a shrub with a wooden trunk and, at some distance from the ground, having leaves and branches.
Tree
/tɹiː/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A perennial woody plant taller and larger than a shrub with a wooden trunk and, at some distance from the ground, having leaves and branches.
- Grammar: tree is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acacia, ailanthus, alder, alligator pear.
- Useful contrasts: busch, bush, bushes.
- Usage evidence: Strong winds stripped the tree of its leaves.
How to use "tree"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tree" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tree" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tree" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tree" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tree" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acacia" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tree", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A perennial woody plant taller and larger than a shrub with a wooden trunk and, at some distance from the ground, having leaves and branches.
"Hyperion is the tallest living tree in the world."
- 2 An extremely fast-growing function based on Kruskal's tree theorem. uncountable
- 3 Alternative letter-case form of TREE. alt-of, uncountable
- 4 a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms wordnet
- 5 Any other plant (such as a large shrub or herb) that is reminiscent of the above in form and size.
"The banana tree is a tall perennial herb: its trunk is not woody."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 a figure that branches from a single root wordnet
- 7 An object made from a tree trunk and having multiple hooks or storage platforms.
"He had the choice of buying a scratching post or a cat tree."
- 8 A device used to hold or stretch a shoe open.
"He put a shoe tree in each of his shoes."
- 9 The structural frame of a saddle.
- 10 A connected graph with no cycles or, if the graph is finite, equivalently a connected graph with n vertices and n−1 edges.
- 11 A recursive data structure in which each node has zero or more nodes as children, but does not share children with other nodes.
- 12 A display or listing of entries or elements such that there are primary and secondary entries shown, usually linked by drawn lines or by indenting to the right.
"We’ll show it as a tree list."
- 13 Any structure or construct having branches representing divergence or possible choices.
"family tree; skill tree"
- 14 The structure or wooden frame used in the construction of a saddle used in horse riding.
- 15 Marijuana. in-plural, often, slang
"I like good pussy and I like good trees / Smoke so much weed you wouldn't believe"
- 16 A cross or gallows.
"Tyburn tree"
- 17 A mass of crystals, aggregated in arborescent forms, obtained by precipitation of a metal from solution.
- 18 The fifth Lenormand card.
- 19 Alternative letter-case form of TREE. alt-of, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To chase (an animal or person) up a tree. transitive
"The dog treed the cat."
- 2 stretch (a shoe) on a shoetree wordnet
- 3 To place in a tree. transitive
"Black bears can tree their cubs for protection, but grizzly bears cannot."
- 4 chase an animal up a tree wordnet
- 5 To place upon a shoe tree; to fit with a shoe tree; to stretch upon a shoe tree. transitive
"to tree a boot"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 plant with trees wordnet
- 7 To take refuge in a tree. intransitive
- 8 force a person or an animal into a position from which they cannot escape wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Strong winds stripped the tree of its leaves."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tree"?
Common synonyms include: acacia, ailanthus, alder, alligator pear, allspice, almond.
How do you use "tree" in a sentence?
Strong winds stripped the tree of its leaves.
How do you pronounce "tree"?
Pronounced /tɹiː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *drew- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Germanic *trewą Proto-West Germanic *treu Old English trēow Middle English tre English tree PIE word *dóru From Middle English trau, tre, tree, treo, treou, trew, trewe, troe, trouȝh, trouȝgh, trow, trowe, from Old English trēo, trēow, trēu, trīo, trīow, trȳw (“tree; wood; forest; beam, cudgel, log; cross”), from Proto-West Germanic *treu, from Proto-Germanic *trewą (“tree”), from pre-Germanic *dréwom, thematic e-grade derivative of Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree”). Related to tar, true. Cognates Cognate with Dutch teer (“tree”), Danish, Faroese, and Scanian træ (“tree; timber, wood”), Elfdalian trai (“tree; timber, wood”), Icelandic tré (“tree; wood”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk tre (“tree; wood”), Swedish trä (“wood; tree”), träd (“tree”), Gothic 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌿 (triu, “piece of wood”); also Breton derv (“oak”), Cornish dar (“oak”), Irish dair (“oak”), Manx darragh (“oak; oaken”), Scottish Gaelic darach (“oak”), Welsh dâr (“oak”), Ancient Greek δόρυ (dóru, “tree; wood; spear”) (whence Greek δόρυ (dóry, “pike, spear”)), Albanian dru (“tree; wood”), Latvian darva (“tar”), Lithuanian derva (“tar; resin”), Belarusian дзе́рава (dzjérava, “tree”), дрэ́ва (dréva, “tree; wood”), Czech drvo, dřevo (“wood”), Polish drzewo (“tree; wood”), Russian де́рево (dérevo), дре́во (drévo, “tree; wood”), Serbo-Croatian др̏во, drȇvo, drijȇvo, drȋvo, dȑvo (“tree; wood”), Slovak and Slovene drevo (“tree; wood”), Ukrainian де́рево (dérevo, “tree; wood”), Armenian տարր (tarr, “element; component”), Avestan 𐬛𐬁𐬎𐬭𐬎 (dāᵘru, “wood”), Central Kurdish and Persian دار (dâr, “tree; wood”), Northern Kurdish dar (“tree”), Zazaki dare (“tree”), Hittite 𒋫𒊒 (taru), 𒋫𒀀𒊒 (táru, “tree; wood”), Luwian 𒋫𒀀𒊒 (tāru, “wood”), Tocharian A and Tocharian B or (“wood”), Sanskrit दारु (dāru, “timber, wood”). Replaced alternative Middle English beem, from Old English bēam (see beam) and eclipsed non-native Middle English arbre, borrowed from Old French arbre.
Etymology 2
Topographic surname for someone who lived near a conspicuous tree.