Christmas tree

noun

plural Christmas trees

1

: a usually evergreen tree decorated at Christmas

2

: an oil-well control device consisting of an assembly of fittings placed at the top of the well

3

drag racing : a set of paired colored lights arranged in two columns on a vertical pole in front of the starting line and used for starting a race

Lights on top of the Christmas tree tell the drivers to enter the staging area. Larger yellow lights mean, "get ready." The green light means "go!"

—Lori Polydoros

Examples of Christmas tree in a Sentence

We hung the lights on the Christmas tree.

Recent Examples on the Web

An ugly snag, looking like last year’s Christmas tree, has reared itself out of the water about midstream. — Ralph Tuttle, Outdoor Life, 25 June 2026

For more of our favorite artificial Christmas tree finds, keep reading on. — Julia Fields, Southern Living, 24 June 2026

One notable instance came in season 1 of America's Sweethearts, when Powell was reprimanded for asking where her ornament was on the locker room Christmas tree, as opposed to expressing gratitude for the decorations. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026

The Zombie Walk takes place around Halloween and Winter Wonder Walk at the time of the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Christmas tree

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

Christmas tree

noun

: a usually evergreen tree decorated at Christmas