oak

noun

ˈōk How to pronounce oak (audio)
plural oaks or oak
often attributive
1
a
: 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 oaks
b
: the tough hard durable wood of an oak tree
2
: the leaves of an oak used as decoration

Illustration of oak

Illustration of oak
  • 1 acorn
  • 2 leaf

Examples of oak in a Sentence

Tall oaks line the street. The table is solid oak. The cabinets are made of oak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The property’s woodlands of oak, chestnut and pine trees host a vast number of natural botanicals; the Mediterranean scrub ultimately defines Gin del Drago’s aromatic profile and showcases the biodiversity of the estate in a glass. — Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Inspired by Toasted Coconut, on the other hand, incorporates some virgin oak casks into the mix. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 4 Aug. 2026 The fire is burning largely through brush oak woodlands, Cal Fire Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit spokesperson Emily Kilgore told The Sacramento Bee. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Moss paused to watch, as an oak catkin blew down and nestled in his hair. — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oak

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ook, oke, going back to Old English āc, going back to Germanic *eik- (whence also Old Frisian ēk "oak," Old Saxon ēc, Old High German eih, eihha, Old Norse eik), of obscure origin

Note: Old English āc is a feminine root noun (dative singular and nominative plural ǣc), though forms leveled to other declensions with umlaut are already evident. Germanic *eik- has been compared with the Greek words aigílōps, a name in Theophrastus for a species of oak (Quercus macrolepis?), and krátaigos, a species of hawthorn (also in Theophrastus), but interpretation of the conjoined elements of these words is conjectural (lṓpē is not actually attested in the sense "cork" or "bark"). The derivation of Latin aesculus "a species of oak (Quercus petraea?)" is obscure. The Lithuanian dialect forms áižuols and áužuolas "oak," superficially comparable, are hypercorrections of ą́žuolas, which is very unlikely to be related to *eik- (cf. Old Prussian ansonis = German eche in the Elbing Vocabulary).

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of oak was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing oak

Rhymes for oak

See All Rhymes for oak

Browse Nearby Words

Oahuan
oak
oak apple
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oak. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

oak

noun
ˈōk How to pronounce oak (audio)
plural oaks or oak
1
: any of various trees or shrubs closely related to the beeches and chestnuts and producing acorns
2
: the tough hard wood of the oak much used for furniture and flooring
oaken
ˈō-kən How to pronounce oak (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on oak

Nglish: Translation of oak for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oak

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