fir

noun

ˈfər How to pronounce fir (audio)
1
: any of a genus (Abies) of north temperate evergreen trees of the pine family that have flattish leaves, circular leaf scars, and erect female cones and are valued for their wood
also : any of various conifers (such as the Douglas fir) of other genera
2
: the wood of a fir

Examples of fir 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.
Monarch migration Oyamel fir forests are famous as the winter refuge of millions of migratory monarch butterflies. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026 The Fort Bragg Railroad started up in 1885 to haul redwood and fir logs to the coast for shipping south to San Francisco. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 At the bottom of the cliff, where the climb starts under an old fir tree, Kerr tied one end of the rope into his harness. — Daniel Duane, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026 The Chapman family earned the title with David Chapman's Balsam fir ‒ a type of evergreen tree commonly grown as a Christmas tree. — Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fir

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English fyrh; akin to Old High German forha fir, Latin quercus oak

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fir was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing fir

Rhymes for fir

See All Rhymes for fir

Browse Nearby Words

fique
fir
fir balsam
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fir. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

fir

noun
ˈfər How to pronounce fir (audio)
1
: any of various usually large evergreen trees related to the pines some of which yield useful lumber or resins
2
: the wood of a fir

Medical Definition

fir

noun
ˈfər How to pronounce fir (audio)
: any tree of the genus Abies see balsam fir

More from Merriam-Webster on fir

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fir

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All