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
Recent Examples on the Web
In the spring, Dickson Azalea Gardens is a fairytale of pink and white blossoms bursting beneath the dappled shade of the live oaks in this older Orlando neighborhood.
—
Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2025
This house is set behind a large grassy lawn, shaded by several mature Southern live oak trees.
—Angela Serratore, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The garden has a canopy of live oaks, Simpson’s stopper, black ironwoods, pigeon plums, a Talipot palm, and more.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2025
The coast live oaks, one of the most effective lines of natural fire defense in the mountains, started struggling too.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for live oak
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Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2025
This house is set behind a large grassy lawn, shaded by several mature Southern live oak trees.
—Angela Serratore, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
The garden has a canopy of live oaks, Simpson’s stopper, black ironwoods, pigeon plums, a Talipot palm, and more.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Jan. 2025
The coast live oaks, one of the most effective lines of natural fire defense in the mountains, started struggling too.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 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 11 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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