live oak

noun

ˈlīv- 

: any of several American evergreen oaks: such as

a

: a medium-sized oak (Quercus virginiana) of southeastern North America often cultivated as a shelter and shade tree and noted for its extremely hard tough durable wood

b

: any of several oaks of the western U.S. with evergreen foliage and hard durable wood

Illustration of live oak

• live oak a

Examples of live oak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surrounded by a quiet residential neighborhood, the restaurant, housed in a century-old Greek Revival home sits at the end of a cul-de-sac on Richland Street amid a grove of 18 live oak trees. —Beth D'addono, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025

One of the plantation’s top draws is the iconic Avenue of the Oaks with over 80 live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. —Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025

Savannah, Georgia This Southern city won top marks for its walkability, hospitality, and lush parks—all those live oaks dripping in Spanish moss certainly add to the atmospheric quality. —Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025

The landscape is marked by rolling hills dotted with cypress, live oak, and pecan trees. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for live oak

• artichoke
• nanticoke
• womenfolk
• awoke
• baroque
• bespoke
• colloque
• convoke
• evoke
• invoke
• keystroke
• kinfolk

Kids Definition

live oak

noun

ˈlī-ˌvōk 

: any of several American oaks with evergreen leaves and hard durable wood

especially : one of the southeastern U.S. that is grown for its shelter and shade and formerly much used in building ships