deadwood

noun

dead·​wood ˈded-ˌwu̇d 

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

Synonyms

• chaff
• debris
• dreck
• drek
• dross
• dust
• effluvium
• effluvia
• garbage
• junk
• litter
• offal
• offscouring
• raffle
• refuse
• riffraff
• rubbish
• scrap
• spilth
• trash
• truck
• waste

Examples of deadwood in a Sentence

She's determined to get the deadwood out of the company.

a healthy tree with no deadwood

Recent Examples on the Web

And some old-growth forests have abundant deadwood, both standing and on the ground, whereas others are kept largely clear of deadwood by frequent fires. —Reed Frederick Noss, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025

But deadwood—and the biodiversity associated with it—has severely declined in many forests worldwide. —Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

The deadwood was cleared off the roster. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025

Others are tallying deadwood’s roles in recycling organic matter and stabilizing the global climate. —Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for deadwood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• childhood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood

Kids Definition

deadwood

noun

dead·​wood -ˌwu̇d 

1

: wood that is dead on a tree

2

: useless material or unproductive persons

Geographical Definition

Deadwood

geographical name

Dead·​wood ˈded-ˌwu̇d 

city in the Black Hills of western South Dakota that was settled circa 1876 following the discovery of gold nearby population 1270