wood

wood — noun

1. the tough natural substance taken from tree trunks and branches, used in constru

1.nounA2
Definition

the tough natural substance taken from tree trunks and branches, used in construction, furniture-making, craftwork, or as fuel

Example

Eitan cut the wood into small pieces for the legs of his new table.

cut the wood into pieces — preparing wood for a specific project

Putri collected dry wood from the garden to build a fire for the barbecue.

dry wood — wood for fuel

Common collocations
  • piece of wood
  • block of wood
  • made of wood
  • wood fire
  • wood floor
  • wood carving
  • cut wood
  • chop wood
  • burn wood
  • dry wood
  • solid wood
  • raw wood
Synonyms
  • timber

    more formal; refers to wood prepared for building, especially in British English

  • lumber

    American English term for wood cut into planks or beams

  • hardwood

    wood from broad-leaved trees such as oak, maple, or cherry; denser than softwood

Usage Note

Uncountable when referring to the substance in general. Countable only when talking about a specific type (e.g., 'a rare African wood') or a specific piece ('choose your woods carefully').

Common Mistakes

I need some woods to build a shelf.
I need some wood to build a shelf.
'wood' as a material is uncountable.
The table is made by wood.
The table is made of wood.
'made of' describes the material something is composed of.

2. a piece of land thickly covered with trees, not as big as a forest

2.nounA2
Definition

a piece of land thickly covered with trees, not as big as a forest

Example

The children often play hide-and-seek in the wood behind the school building.

in the wood — location within a wooded area

Dahlia spotted a deer running through the wood near her grandmother's farm.

Common collocations
  • in the wood
  • through the wood
  • dense wood
  • ancient wood
  • walk in the woods
  • edge of the wood
Synonyms
  • forest

    a larger area of trees, typically more dense and wild than a wood

  • grove

    a small group of trees, often fruit or nut trees planted deliberately

  • copse

    a very small thicket of trees or bushes

Antonyms
  • clearing

    an open area within a wood where no trees grow

  • meadow

    an open grassy field without trees

Usage Note

Both 'wood' and 'woods' are used with the same meaning. 'The woods' can sometimes suggest a larger, wilder area. In place names, 'Wood' often appears as a suffix (e.g., 'Sherwood', 'Harwood').

Common Mistakes

I got lost in the wood near my house' (when describing a dense, large area).
I got lost in the woods near my house.
'woods' (plural) is more natural for a large or dense wooded area.

3. in the sport of golf, a club with a broad head that players use to send the ball

3.nounB1
Definition

in the sport of golf, a club with a broad head that players use to send the ball a very long way

Example

Hyun pulled his wood from the golf bag and stepped up to the tee.

The coach showed Christopher how to hold the wood for a long drive down the fairway.

hold a wood — grip technique for this club type

Common collocations
  • three-wood
  • five-wood
  • hit a wood
  • use a wood
  • pull a wood
Synonyms
  • driver

    the lowest-loft wood (usually 1-wood), used for the longest shots

  • fairway wood

    a wood used for long shots from the fairway, typically higher-loft than a driver

Antonyms
  • iron

    a golf club with a flat metal head for shorter, more precise shots

  • putter

    a golf club used on the green to roll the ball into the hole

Usage Note

Countable. Often modified by a number indicating the loft angle (e.g., 'a three-wood', 'a five-wood'). Modern golf clubs called 'woods' are often made of metal but retain the historical name.

Common Mistakes

I hit the ball with my wood club.
I hit the ball with my wood.
the club itself is called a 'wood', not a 'wood club'.
Idioms

neck of the woods

idiom

A particular area or region where someone lives or is from.

Maya moved to my neck of the woods last year.

What brings you to this neck of the woods, Diego?

not out of the woods

idiom

Still having difficulties or problems to deal with.

The company is not out of the woods yet.

After the surgery, he is not out of the woods.

not see the wood for the trees

idiom

To fail to understand the main issue because you focus too much on small details.

Brian is so focused on costs that he can't see the wood for the trees.

When planning the event, Sara couldn't see the wood for the trees.

touch wood

idiom

Said to avoid bad luck when mentioning good fortune or hopes.

I haven't been sick all year, touch wood.

The project is on schedule, touch wood, but we must stay careful.

wood — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Timber, lumber, hardwood, and plywood all refer to wood as a material, but they differ in origin, processing, and regional preference. Timber is the general term in British English for wood used in building — a builder orders timber from a yard. Lumber is the American equivalent: a hardware shop in the US sells lumber, not timber. Hardwood refers to wood from broad-leaf trees (oak, maple, walnut) and is denser and more durable than softwood from conifers; it is also the computing term for the physical components of a computer — a completely separate meaning. Plywood is a manufactured product made by gluing thin layers of wood together in alternating directions; it is building material, not a tree type. For everyday use: 'I need some wood for a shelf' is the simplest choice. If you want to be specific about the tree type, say 'oak wood' or 'pine wood'. If you are buying construction materials in the US, ask for 'lumber'; in the UK, ask for 'timber'.

timber ↗lumber ↗hardwood ↗plywood

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • made of wood
  • in the wood
  • out of wood
  • through the woods
  • a piece of wood
  • a block of wood

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wood comes from Old English wudu, wiodu, meaning 'tree, forest, the substance of trees'. This goes back to Proto-Germanic *widuz ('tree, wood'), with relatives in Old Norse viðr, Old Saxon widu, and Old High German witu. The Germanic root traces further to Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰ- or *weit-, meaning 'forest' or 'wood'. The word has remained remarkably stable in meaning across more than a thousand years of English — from the great epic poem Beowulf (which opens with reference to the 'spear-wood' of warriors) to a modern carpenter ordering supplies.