Pronunciation: /ˈdɛdˌwʊd/

Definitions of deadwood

noun the dead branches and other waste wood in a forest or on the ground

Example Sentences

A1 The forest was full of deadwood.

A2 The hiker tripped over a piece of deadwood on the trail.

B1 The gardener cleared out the deadwood from the bushes.

B2 The company needed to eliminate the deadwood in order to improve efficiency.

C1 The CEO made the tough decision to cut the deadwood from the organization.

C2 The team leader identified the deadwood employees and initiated a performance improvement plan.

adjective no longer useful or productive; obsolete

Example Sentences

A1 The old, deadwood tree in the park provided a home for many birds.

A2 The company decided to get rid of the deadwood employees who were not performing well.

B1 The manager identified the deadwood processes that were slowing down production.

B2 The team leader was able to eliminate the deadwood tasks from the project plan.

C1 The CEO made a strategic decision to cut out the deadwood departments in order to streamline operations.

C2 The consultant was brought in to assess and remove the deadwood practices that were hindering growth.

Examples of deadwood in a Sentence

formal The deadwood in the company was eventually let go to improve efficiency.

informal They finally got rid of all the deadwood at work.

slang We need to cut out the deadwood from our team if we want to succeed.

figurative The deadwood in his life was weighing him down, holding him back from progress.

Grammatical Forms of deadwood

past tense

deadwooded

plural

deadwoods

comparative

more deadwood

superlative

most deadwood

present tense

deadwood

future tense

will deadwood

perfect tense

has deadwooded

continuous tense

is deadwooding

singular

deadwood

positive degree

deadwood

infinitive

to deadwood

gerund

deadwooding

participle

deadwooded

Origin and Evolution of deadwood

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The term 'deadwood' originated from the nautical industry, where it referred to the parts of a ship that were no longer useful or necessary.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the term 'deadwood' has evolved to also refer to people or things that are no longer productive or contributing to a group or organization.