ironwood

noun

iron·​wood ˈī(-ə)rn-ˌwu̇d 

1

: any of numerous trees and shrubs (such as a hornbeam or hop hornbeam) with exceptionally tough or hard wood

2

: the wood of an ironwood

Examples of ironwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their teeth are also capable of stripping bark off of trees, making ironwoods and palo verdes even more vulnerable to hungry herds. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Among these trees are century-old Japanese maples, ironwood trees, and horse chestnuts that would have otherwise been cut down. —Nel-Olivia Waga, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

The garden has a canopy of live oaks, Simpson’s stopper, black ironwoods, pigeon plums, a Talipot palm, and more. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2025

Inside the forest, 150-foot canopies of kapok and red ironwood trees came to an abrupt end at an unobstructed meadow the size of Times Square. —Zhengyang Wang, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ironwood

• adulthood
• babyhood
• brotherhood
• cottonwood
• fatherhood
• firewood
• fuelwood
• hardihood
• leatherwood
• likelihood
• livelihood
• maidenhood

Kids Definition

ironwood

noun

iron·​wood -ˌwu̇d 

1

: any of numerous trees and shrubs with very tough hard wood

2

: the wood of an ironwood