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deadwood

1 synonyms and 0 antonyms for deadwood, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — Dead branches or wood still attached to a living tree, or fallen wood debris.

Synonyms

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

fifth wheel

How to use deadwood

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

clear the deadwood organisational deadwood cut deadwood

Etymology

A literal compound of dead and wood, later extended figuratively to useless people or things.

Full origin of deadwood →

Frequently asked questions

What does “deadwood” mean?

The word “deadwood” means dead branches or wood still attached to a living tree, or fallen wood debris. In plain terms, dead branches on a tree, or — figuratively — people/things that are no longer pulling their weight.

How do you pronounce “deadwood”?

“Deadwood” is pronounced DEHD-wuud (/ˈdɛd.wʊd/ in IPA).

How do you use “deadwood” in a sentence?

Here is “deadwood” used in a sentence: “The gardener cleared out the deadwood before spring.”

What part of speech is “deadwood”?

“Deadwood” is a noun.

How many meanings does “deadwood” have?

“Deadwood” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: dead branches or wood still attached to a living tree, or fallen wood debris.

Nearby words

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Synonyms and antonyms from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.