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Christmas tree

American  

noun

  1. an evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights.

  2. a control board or panel containing a variety of colored lights for indicating the status of various functions, elements, components, etc.

  3. an elaborate arrangement of pipes, valves, etc., as for controlling the flow of oil or gas.


Christmas tree British  

noun

  1. an evergreen tree or an imitation of one, decorated as part of Christmas celebrations

  2. Also called: Christmas bush.  any of various trees or shrubs flowering at Christmas and used for decoration

  3. another name for pohutukawa

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Christmas tree

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The lavish presents - all clearly marked with designer labels - piled up and decorated like a Christmas tree, the expensive trips to five-star resorts around the world, the extravagant wedding parties that closed roads to traffic.

From BBC

Michael Shaughnessy, a supply-chain executive at Balsam Brands, which sells artificial Christmas trees and holiday decor, said he has spent the past few months preparing to file for refunds if they become available.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I don’t want to be mean, but … the Christmas tree is up,” Sugarman continued, looking at the snap.

From MarketWatch

He noticed how people went to the rail yard in December and bought Christmas trees off boxcars, so fresh they still had ice clinging to their branches.

From Los Angeles Times

“And then Emerald would come up with a platter of jewels and start decorating me like a Christmas tree.”

From Los Angeles Times