box elder

noun

: a rapidly growing North American maple (Acer negundo) with compound leaves

Examples of box elder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some of the trees, a mix of black walnut, oak and box elder, are more than 80 years old, Hart said. — Mike Jones, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2023 Taller trees — box elder, ash, cottonwood, walnut and sycamore — shaded the area. — The Arizona Republic, 30 June 2023 In addition, drought conditions have weakened fast-growing trees such as sugar maples, box elders, willows which are most prone to losing limbs, Megna said. — Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 In the meantime their spread is beginning to threaten both the economy, through the infection of avocado trees, as well as ecology, through the devastation of native box elder populations. — Guest, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015 See All Example Sentences for box elder

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of box elder was in 1787

Rhymes for box elder

See All Rhymes for box elder

Browse Nearby Words

boxed seam
box elder
box-elder aphid
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Box elder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/box%20elder. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

box elder

noun
: a North American maple with compound leaves

More from Merriam-Webster on box elder

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about box elder

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All