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

Home to Montage Palmetto Bluff, a previous winner in the World’s Best Awards, the tiny town knows exactly how to kick back under the live oak trees. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2026

There are many manzanitas and one sizable coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

The city fades away, and the road takes you through limestone hills, live oaks, and rivers lined with cypress trees. — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Railroad tracks took the place of the river; ranches, live oaks and Spanish moss replaced California’s mountains and open scrubland. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 15 July 2026

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