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

The clip captures the families cutting and collecting the trees as one woman explains that Christmas tree owners have to make all their money in five weeks. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025

If your Christmas tree has flickering lights that don’t work or is looking dull after years of being put up and stored away, don’t miss out on this deal from National Tree Company. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025

See our guide to Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom 2025: Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom includes more than 300 Christmas trees and a light display with over 1.5 million lights. —Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Nov. 2025

Much of this lovely, cerebral film unfolds in a cozy Manhattan high-rise, a Christmas tree twinkling in the background as snow falls outside. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025

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