1
: a Hawaiian timber tree (Acacia koa) with crescent-shaped phyllodes and pale yellow flowers borne in small round heads
2
: the fine-grained red wood of the koa used especially for furniture

Examples of koa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On land, the resort has planted over 50,000 indigenous koa trees, in partnership with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, to help offset the carbon from stays in its rooms and private villas. Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024 Under the canopy of a koa tree, in an open-air cookhouse built of lava rocks gathered from the eruption of Mauna Loa in 1855, sit a scuba instructor, a lawyer, several retirees, and their children and grandchildren. Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, 6 Nov. 2023 Smith also hopes to raze the invasive trees there and plant koa and other native species that could someday provide wood for his grandchildren to work with. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023 Taylor also has a commitment to sustainability, partnering with a Hawaiian wood supplier to plant nearly 150,000 native koa and other trees this decade to supply all the wood for their Koa guitars. Red Fabbri, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2022 Other pathways in the park, like the easy 1.2-mile Kipukapuaulu Trail, which cuts through an old koa and ohia forest, are often uncrowded, even during summer and fall months. Catherine Toth Fox, Outside Online, 9 Mar. 2020 While Junior and Tani track down the thief who robbed his parents’ home, the team investigates the murder of a beloved philanthropist and the theft of his ultra-valuable koa tree. Chuck Barney, Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov. 2019 Ted’s collection of Hawaiian koa wood is used in dramatic features throughout the house. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2019 The kitchen has custom birds-eye maple and koa cabinets and a unique lighting system that features red Venetian glass. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'koa.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of koa was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near koa

Cite this Entry

“Koa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koa. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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