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

Colorful lights, Christmas trees, and other seasonal decor add to the Yuletide atmosphere. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Jan. 2026

With the glow of large Christmas tree light show in the background, Art pulled out a ring box as Marilyn stood before him and smiled. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

Bella's post also included a video of Gigi dancing in front of a Christmas tree. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 19 Jan. 2026

The fire appeared to have started after an artificial Christmas tree caught fire in a second-floor room, according to the Cincinnati Fire Department. —Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Jan. 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