conifer
noun
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Any of an order of trees and shrubs, conifers usually have usually needle-shaped or scale-like leaves. Conifers include forms (such as pines) with true cones and others (such as yews) that bear a fruit. There are more than 550 species of conifers, and most are evergreen trees and shrubs. They grow throughout the world (except in Antarctica) and prefer temperate climate zones. They include the world's smallest and tallest trees. Conifers supply softwood timber used for general construction, boxes and crates, and other articles, as well as pulpwood for paper. The wood is also used as fuel and in the manufacture of cellulose products, plywood, and veneers. The trees are the source of resins, oils, turpentine, tars, and pharmaceuticals.
Examples of conifer in a Sentence
John Leos, AZCentral.com, 15 July 2025
Shadows disappear into the interlocking arms of lifeless conifers at the far end of my garden.
—Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Now the gap has been shortened to eight million years, thanks to this new snapshot of life around streams during a time when small, fuzzy dinosaurs ran through forests of towering conifers.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025
That might mean removing invasive trees like conifers from wetlands, fencing off riverbanks to keep grazing livestock at bay, or restoring habitats in ways that support safe vole dispersal.
—Discover Magazine, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for conifer
Cite this Entry
“Conifer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conifer. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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