bald cypress

noun

1

: a large deciduous conifer (Taxodium distichum of the family Cupressaceae, the cypress family) of southern U.S. swamps that has flexible flat needles and is related to the sequoias

also : a related tree (T. mucronatum) of Mexico and southern Texas see cone illustration

2

: the hard red wood of bald cypress that is much used for shingles

Examples of bald cypress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Caddo Lake, Texas Caddo Lake, Texas, has bald cypress trees, Spanish moss, bayous, ponds and rustic cabins. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025

While many trees in Louisiana’s Kisatchie National Forest are evergreen, some, like the bald cypress and sweet gum trees, delight travelers with pops of ruby red and orange each fall. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025

Despite the tree’s association with ponds, bald cypress tolerates a range of growing conditions, from somewhat dry soils to standing water. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025

Tubers can laze the day away taking in stretches of quiet solitude catching herons, egrets and anhinga perched along stands of bald cypress, and the occasional run of waterfront homes. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bald cypress

noun

: either of two large swamp trees related to the pine and found in the southern U.S.