dogwood

noun

dog·​wood ˈdȯg-ˌwu̇d 

: any of various trees and shrubs (genus Cornus of the family Cornaceae, the dogwood family) with clusters of small flowers and often large white, pink, or red involucral bracts

Examples of dogwood in a Sentence

The furniture is made of dogwood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Black gum, dogwood and northern red oak turn various shades of red. —Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Surround your lanterns with even more fall color and texture by adding red twig dogwood branches or pine cones. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2025

Common host plants include roses, hibiscus, pines, and some types of deciduous trees and shrubs including dogwood, oak, birch, ash, elm, and azaleas, as well as blackberry and raspberry bushes, says Khan. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2025

Red twig dogwood Red twig dogwood is another great choice. —Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dogwood

• flowering dogwood

Rhymes for dogwood

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

Kids Definition

dogwood

noun

dog·​wood ˈdȯg-ˌwu̇d 

: any of various trees and shrubs having clusters of small flowers often surrounded by four showy leaves that look like petals

Medical Definition

dogwood

noun

dog·​wood ˈdȯ-ˌgwu̇d 

: any tree or shrub of the genus Cornus