What does "woods" mean?

1. (area with trees) an area of land where many trees grow together, usually smaller than a forest. 2. (military cover) a group of trees used as a place to hide or stay safe during military actions.

woods — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "We went for a walk in the wood."?

No — say "We went for a walk in the woods.". While 'wood' can mean the material, the area of trees is almost always plural ('the woods') in everyday English.

Word

01area with trees

A2 · Elementary Plural noun

n. an area of land where many trees grow together, usually smaller than a forest.

n. a dense collection of trees covering a specific area of land. Often used in the plural to refer to a single wooded area.

“We spent the afternoon walking along the paths in the woods.”

“The children spent their summer building forts in the woods behind their house, hidden from view by the thick canopy of oak trees.”

Pitfall

We went for a walk in the wood.

We went for a walk in the woods.

While 'wood' can mean the material, the area of trees is almost always plural ('the woods') in everyday English.

Synonyms

forest woodland grove

02military cover

C2 · Proficiency Plural noun Science Technical

n. a group of trees used as a place to hide or stay safe during military actions.

n. trees in full leaf, including coniferous or medium-dense deciduous areas, considered as a specific environment for tactical cover or chemical behavior.

“The soldiers moved through the woods to stay hidden from the drones.”

“The technical report analyzed how the dense woods affected the dispersal of chemical agents compared to open grassland environments.”

Usage

Often used attributively in technical reports regarding environmental effects on equipment.

Synonyms

canopy vegetation

grove tree