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

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

Black gum, dogwood and northern red oak turn various shades of red. —Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Bacon Hollow and Stony Man Overlook are among the best spots from which to take in the buttery yellow hickories, chili pepper–red oaks, and maples in every shade. —Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025

Jaron’s acorns had become tall red oaks, higher than the house. —Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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