Meaning & use
wood
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The hard material that forms the trunk and branches of a tree, used for making things.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the material in general; countable when referring to a particular type or piece.
Patterns
- made of wood
- a piece of wood
- wooden
The table is made of wood.
She gathered some wood to build a fire.
This sculpture is carved from a single piece of wood.
nouncountable
A small forest or group of trees.
Grammar: Often used in the plural 'woods' with the same meaning.
Patterns
- in the wood
- through the woods
We went for a walk in the wood.
The house is surrounded by woods.
nouncountablesport
A golf club with a wooden head, used for hitting long shots.
Grammar: Now often made of metal but still called a wood.
Patterns
- a wood
- use a wood
He hit the ball with a wood.
She chose a 3-wood for the second shot.
Word forms
| plural | woods |
|---|
Common combinations
- wooden
- The wooden floor creaked as we walked.
- wood carving
- Wood carving is a traditional craft in this region.
- wood pulp
- Paper is made from wood pulp.
- wooden spoon
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce.
Synonyms and how they differ
- timber
- Timber is wood that has been prepared for building, especially in British English; in American English, timber often refers to standing trees.
Word family
Commonly confused: wood or would?
wood vs would
'Would' is a modal verb used for polite requests or hypothetical situations; 'wood' is the material from trees. They sound the same but are spelled differently.
Practice
The chair is made ______ wood.
Choose one answer.
We say 'made of' when the material is still visible in the finished object. 'Made from' is used when the material is changed (e.g., paper is made from wood). 'Made with' would mean wood is one ingredient among others, and 'made by' refers to the maker.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.