redwood

noun

red·​wood ˈred-ˌwu̇d 

1

: any of various woods (such as brazilwood) yielding a red dye

2

: a tree that yields a red dyewood or produces red or reddish wood

3

a

: a very tall coniferous tree (Sequoia sempervirens) of the cypress family that grows chiefly in coastal California, sometimes reaches a height of 360 feet (110 meters), and is a commercially important timber tree

called also coast redwood

see cone illustration compare dawn redwood

b

: its brownish-red durable wood

Examples of redwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Twangy bass lines thick enough to saw down a redwood tree are shredded with shivers of electric guitar to create a blues sound that cuts a hole straight through the decades. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025

The nature of the Bermuda grass that will be the primary surface of the golf course will require the uprooting of hundreds of trees, including some redwood trees that were planted in the 1950s. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025

Its redwood trees, transplanted from the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1974, were a condition of the building’s approval by then-Mayor Joe Alioto. —Jennifer Lee, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2025

The scents of wet earth, musty redwood, bay laurel, eucalyptus, ceanothus, and salty ocean air are alive in my imagination, which means that home is never too far away. —Calin Van Paris, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing redwood

• coast redwood
• dawn redwood

Rhymes for redwood

• allgood
• basswood
• beechwood
• bellwood
• birchwood
• boxwood
• boyhood
• brushwood
• childhood
• cordwood
• dogwood
• driftwood

Kids Definition

redwood

noun

red·​wood ˈred-ˌwu̇d 

: a tall cone-producing evergreen tree mostly of coastal California that is related to the bald cypresses and sometimes grows to be 360 feet (110 meters) tall

also : its light long-lasting brownish red wood