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driftwood

American  
[drift-wood] / ˈdrɪftˌwʊd /

noun

  1. wood floating on a body of water or cast ashore by it.

  2. such wood adapted for use in interior decoration.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or made of driftwood.

    a driftwood lamp.
driftwood British  
/ ˈdrɪftˌwʊd /

noun

  1. wood floating on or washed ashore by the sea or other body of water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of driftwood

First recorded in 1605–15; drift + wood 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Soldiers and police had helped clear the debris and driftwood.

From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025

My tent set up and food safely stored in the provided metal boxes, I went over to the tiny beach and sat on a driftwood log, relaxing under the sun’s warm rays.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

At low tide, the sea is not visible beyond the expanse of grassland, but the area is littered with driftwood, some plastic waste and there is even a small, upturned boat nearby.

From BBC • May 30, 2025

Elsewhere, a gravel beach with dune plantings, driftwood logs and boulders defines the western edge where the landscape meets Puget Sound.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2024

“It was no more exhausting careering after Jasper on the rocks than it was careering after driftwood on the beach,” I answered.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.