redwood

noun

red·​wood ˈred-ˌwu̇d 

1

: any of various woods (such as brazilwood) yielding a red dye

2

: a tree that yields a red dyewood or produces red or reddish wood

3

a

: a very tall coniferous tree (Sequoia sempervirens) of the cypress family that grows chiefly in coastal California, sometimes reaches a height of 360 feet (110 meters), and is a commercially important timber tree

called also coast redwood

see cone illustration compare dawn redwood

b

: its brownish-red durable wood

Examples of redwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the spring of 1977, the then-president was offered a gift from Northern California: a 9-ton peanut carved from a redwood tree. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025

Even the giant old-growth redwood trees are gone as construction continues. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024

Where might Rickey fit in among the redwoods who populate the top of alltime Best Hitter lists? —Tony Blengino, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

That decimation started when miners rushed in for gold, killing and displacing tens of thousands of Native Americans in California and ravaging the redwood trees for lumber. —Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing redwood

• coast redwood
• dawn redwood

Kids Definition

redwood

noun

red·​wood ˈred-ˌwu̇d 

: a tall cone-producing evergreen tree mostly of coastal California that is related to the bald cypresses and sometimes grows to be 360 feet (110 meters) tall

also : its light long-lasting brownish red wood