red oak

noun

1

: any of various North American oaks (such as Quercus rubra and Quercus falcata) that have acorns with the inner surface of the shell lined with woolly hairs, the acorn cap covered with thin scales, and leaf veins that usually run beyond the margin of the leaf to form bristles

2

: the wood of a red oak

Examples of red oak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The body draped over the upper branches of the red oak does not move. —Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

All are smoked in-house with red oak and white oak wood in a Moberg smoker. —Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

The disease can spread to live oaks by spores carried by sap beetles from the red oaks or through the interconnected roots. —Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Jan. 2026

Shumard red oaks and Chinese pistachios are rounded, like big lollipops, at maturity. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for red oak

• awoke
• baroque
• bespoke
• colloque
• convoke
• evoke
• invoke
• keystroke
• kinfolk
• kinsfolk
• menfolk
• provoke

Kids Definition

red oak

noun

1

: any of various North American oaks with acorns that take two years to mature and leaves with bristles on the edge

2

: the wood of a red oak