tree hugger

noun

sometimes disparaging : environmentalist sense 2
especially : an advocate for the preservation of woodlands

Examples of tree hugger in a Sentence

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.
With her sweater sets, sensible shoes and blond hair pulled back in a tight bun, the soft-spoken grandmother looks more like a favorite high school teacher than a tree hugger. — Linda Marsa, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2015 Mel Groves, a 25-year-old studying plant and soil science at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, was the definition of a tree hugger, his friend Que Bell recalled. — NBC News, 21 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tree hugger was in 1965

Rhymes for tree hugger

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Cite this Entry

“Tree hugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tree%20hugger. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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