dogwood

noun

dog·​wood ˈdȯg-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce dogwood (audio)
: any of various trees and shrubs (genus Cornus of the family Cornaceae, the dogwood family) with clusters of small flowers and often large white, pink, or red involucral bracts

Examples of dogwood in a Sentence

The furniture is made of dogwood.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1915, President Taft sent a gift of dogwood trees to Japan in return for their generosity. Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2025 Hemlock dominates the slopes of the Twenty Mile Creek valley, accompanied by hickories, red oak, black walnut, black maple, dogwood, red elder and mountain maple. Gary Stoller, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024 Pruning dogwood, forsythia, azaleas, and rhododendrons now will mean fewer flowers in the spring. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2024 Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9 While dogwood’s spring blooms get all the glory, these trees also produce gorgeous burgundy to purple fall foliage. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dogwood 

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dogwood was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near dogwood

Cite this Entry

“Dogwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogwood. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

dogwood

noun
dog·​wood ˈdȯg-ˌwu̇d How to pronounce dogwood (audio)
: any of various trees and shrubs having clusters of small flowers often surrounded by four showy leaves that look like petals

Medical Definition

dogwood

noun
dog·​wood ˈdȯ-ˌgwu̇d How to pronounce dogwood (audio)
: any tree or shrub of the genus Cornus

More from Merriam-Webster on dogwood

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!