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
Coastal live oaks stretched their long branches into a graceful embrace.
—
Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Stroll to see historic homes on streets lined with live oaks.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
The 17-mile-long strip of land remains largely in its natural state, populated by dense maritime forest of live oaks, saw palmetto, sabal palms, and pines.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 May 2025
The king of native plant and tree species in Houston and across the South is the enormous live oak tree.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
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Francine Kiefer, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Stroll to see historic homes on streets lined with live oaks.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
The 17-mile-long strip of land remains largely in its natural state, populated by dense maritime forest of live oaks, saw palmetto, sabal palms, and pines.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 May 2025
The king of native plant and tree species in Houston and across the South is the enormous live oak tree.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes, 7 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 18 Jun. 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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