woodwork

noun

wood·​work ˈwu̇d-ˌwərk 

1

: work made of wood

especially : interior fittings (such as moldings or stairways) of wood

2

: a place or state of concealment, seclusion, or anonymity

witnesses came out of the woodwork when a reward was offered

Examples of woodwork in a Sentence

We painted the walls white and the woodwork red.

The kick hit the woodwork.

Recent Examples on the Web

There could’ve been delays, conflicts or people coming out of the woodwork to compete with you. —Kyle Thomas, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025

Juventus hit the woodwork twice in the opening 16 minutes but the game was scoreless at half time, only for the visitors to score via a deflected effort from Andrea Cambiaso. —Adam Digby, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

And then the filmmakers that are now coming out of the woodwork wanting to write or collaborate or whatever? —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024

Edward Bulmer’s Pea Green is on the beams and woodwork. —Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing woodwork

• come/crawl out of the woodwork
• fade into the woodwork
• into the woodwork

Kids Definition

woodwork

noun

wood·​work -ˌwərk 

: work made of wood

especially : interior fittings (as window frames or stairways) of wood