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
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Savannah, Georgia This Southern city won top marks for its walkability, hospitality, and lush parks—all those live oaks dripping in Spanish moss certainly add to the atmospheric quality.
—
Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025
The landscape is marked by rolling hills dotted with cypress, live oak, and pecan trees.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 July 2025
The valley oaks, Wells said, do not tolerate drought as well as the coast live oaks.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Browse the Thomasville walkable downtown collections of shops and boutiques and stop for a quiet, contemplative moment beneath one of the South’s oldest live oaks.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
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Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025
The landscape is marked by rolling hills dotted with cypress, live oak, and pecan trees.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 July 2025
The valley oaks, Wells said, do not tolerate drought as well as the coast live oaks.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025
Browse the Thomasville walkable downtown collections of shops and boutiques and stop for a quiet, contemplative moment beneath one of the South’s oldest live oaks.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 13 July 2025
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 5 Aug. 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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