# bamboo

/bæmˈbu/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bamboo
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. the plant

noun · CEFR A2

a tall tropical plant with hard, hollow stems that grows very quickly.

For teachers: any of the various fast-growing grasses of the subfamily Bambusoideae, characterized by hollow, jointed stems.

- Pandas spend most of their day eating the leaves and shoots of bamboo.
- The botanical garden features a dense grove of timber bamboo that reaches heights of over twenty metres in a single season.

### 2. the material

noun · CEFR B1

the wood from the bamboo plant used to make things like floors or furniture.

For teachers: the harvested wood of the bamboo plant utilized as a sustainable material for construction, textiles, and furniture.

- We decided to install bamboo flooring because it is environmentally friendly.
- Architects are increasingly specifying bamboo for structural elements due to its high strength-to-weight ratio and rapid renewability.

### 3. made of bamboo

adjective · CEFR A2

made from the wood or fibers of the bamboo plant.

For teachers: constructed from or composed of bamboo wood or processed bamboo fibers.

- She bought a set of bamboo steaming baskets for cooking dumplings.
- The artisan displayed a collection of bamboo flutes, each hand-carved to produce a unique tonal quality.

### 4. to hit with a cane

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal

to hit someone with a stick made of bamboo as a punishment.

For teachers: to perform corporal punishment by striking an individual with a bamboo cane.

- In the old school records, some students were bambooed for breaking the rules.
- Historical accounts of the colonial penal system describe how prisoners were frequently bambooed for even the most minor infractions of discipline.

Usage: This verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

## Examples

- Pandas love to eat fresh bamboo leaves.
- The gardener planted a row of bamboo to create a natural privacy screen along the fence.
- Architects are increasingly turning to bamboo as a sustainable alternative to traditional timber due to its remarkable tensile strength and rapid renewal cycle.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.