Illustration of live oak
- live oak a
: 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
Examples of live oak in a Sentence
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Of course, the setting deviates from the dark, moody woods one associates with the Brothers Grimm—instead of the Black Forest, this enchanted cabin is surrounded by palm trees and California live oaks, basking in the sunshine.
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Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2024
Some plants, however, including certain manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) will often resprout from their crowns (where trunk meets roots) after a fire.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025
Outdoors, the landscaped grounds are laced with live oak trees and host formal gardens adorned with a life-size chessboard and a secret swing.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 24 Dec. 2024
Highlights include traditional Christmas tree and huge live oaks lit with LEDs to create a spectacular display.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
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Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2024
Some plants, however, including certain manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) will often resprout from their crowns (where trunk meets roots) after a fire.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025
Outdoors, the landscaped grounds are laced with live oak trees and host formal gardens adorned with a life-size chessboard and a secret swing.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 24 Dec. 2024
Highlights include traditional Christmas tree and huge live oaks lit with LEDs to create a spectacular display.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for live oak
Cite this Entry
“Live oak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20oak. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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live oak
noun
: 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
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