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

In the spring, the azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom and parks are lush. —Ellie Nan Storck, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026

Well before bass or other species even think about shaking off the winter blues — weeks ahead of blooming dogwoods and the first biting mosquitos — crappies are already on the chew. —Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026

For autumn interest, try out plants with color-changing leaves, like viburnums, blueberries, and dogwood. —Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 15 Apr. 2026

But this is not a problem with kousa dogwood. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026

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