oak

play

noun, often attributive \ˈōk\

Definition of oak

plural

oaks

oak

1a : any of a genus (Quercus) of trees or shrubs of the beech family that produce acorns; also : any of various plants related to or resembling the oaksb : the tough hard durable wood of an oak tree
2 : the leaves of an oak used as decoration

oaken

play \ˈō-kən\ adjective

See oak defined for English-language learners

See oak defined for kids

Examples of oak in a Sentence

Tall oaks line the street.
The table is solid oak.
The cabinets are made of oak.

Recent Examples of oak from the Web

Recovery efforts focus on managing the scrub oak and pitch pine habitat through controlled burning, forest thinning and planting lupine flowers, as well as captive breeding and release of the insects.

— Washington Post, "NY: Endangered Karner blue butterfly exceeds recovery goals," 20 July 2017
Oysters are grilled in their shells over oak and finished with a brown butter.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
The Grimms will bring most of their brewing in-house, aging sour ales in large oak foudres and fermenting beers with microbes captured in their backyard.

— joshua m. bernstein, New York Times, "Beer Makers Who Used Other Breweries Are Opening Their Own," 17 July 2017
The lecture proposed to explain why oak forests were replaced by pine forests when cut down and vice versa— a phenomenon Emerson, Horace Greeley, and many other reasonably informed observers considered an impenetrable mystery.

— Longreads, "Late in Life, Thoreau Became a Serious Darwinist," 13 July 2017
The group is made up of conservation-minded volunteers who work to preserve oak woodlands and other natural areas in the Lake Zurich area.

— todd shields, chicagotribune.com, "Shout Out: Judi Thode, president of Ancient Oaks Foundation in Lake Zurich," 13 July 2017
Also of concern is the future of two live oak trees, which neighbors said would be sawn down to accommodate the drive-thru.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Dunkin' Donuts project thwarted in Alabama neighborhood where Krispy Kreme once ruled," 10 July 2017
Because all of the original oak logs had rotted over the last three centuries, Plum sought out the help of Roland Cadle of Village Restorations & Consulting Inc., who spent the next year meticulously restoring the home.

— lyndsey matthews, Country Living, "Man Discovers 300-Year-Old Log House Underneath Stucco Facade of Pennsylvania Home," 6 July 2017
Infused in a vaginal wash, oak gall can supposedly tighten your vagina, particularly post-childbirth, and reduce odors.

— deanna pai, Glamour, "All the Vagina Products You Can—and Absolutely Shouldn't—Use," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.