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

On a historic square in Savannah, with live oaks cloaked in Spanish moss, Aaron Whitley, the Chatham County Democratic Party chair, says Ossoff has managed to transcend those fissures better than most. — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Lake Overstreet has about five miles of multi-use trails through live oaks (a northern Florida staple), hills and ravines surrounding a secluded 144-acre lake. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

As for the verdant grounds that sold Becker on the property, they have been reimagined by the AD100 landscape design studio Terremoto, who planted swaths of ferns and live oaks. — Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026

When Dantona first bought the house, a live oak was growing in the front yard. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 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