deadwood

dead·wood

noun \-ˌwu̇d\

Definition of DEADWOOD

1

: wood dead on the tree

2

: useless personnel or material

3

: solid timbers built in at the extreme bow and stern of a ship when too narrow to permit framing

4

: bowling pins that have been knocked down but remain on the alley

Examples of DEADWOOD

1. She's determined to get the deadwood out of the company.
2. a healthy tree with no deadwood

First Known Use of DEADWOOD

15th century

Related to DEADWOOD

Synonyms: chaff, garbage, debris, dreck (also drek), dross, dust, effluvium (also effluvia), junk, litter, offal, offscouring, raffle, refuse, riffraff, rubbish, scrap, spilth, trash, truck, waste

Related Words: crud, sewage, slop, swill, wash; detritus, remains, rubble, ruins; dump, scrap heap; lumber, odds and ends, trumpery; flotsam, jetsam, wreckage; castoff, cull, discard, hand-me-down, reject, throwaway; nothing, straw, two bits

Near Antonyms: catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

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Rhymes with DEADWOOD

Atwood, aunthood, basswood, beefwood, bentwood, blackwood, boxwood, boyhood, brushwood, childhood, cordwood, corkwood, do-good, dogwood, driftwood, falsehood, fatwood, feel-good, firewood, for good, fruitwood, Gielgud, girlhood, godhood, greasewood, greenwood, groundwood, gumwood, hardwood, heartwood, ironwood, kingwood, knighthood, lancewood, logwood, maidhood, make good, manhood, matchwood, monkhood, monkshood, no-good, pinewood, plywood, priesthood, pulpwood, redwood, rosewood, sainthood, selfhood, softwood, sonhood, springwood, statehood, stinkwood, Talmud, teakwood, torchwood, unhood, whitewood, wifehood, wildwood, wormwood