teak

American  

[teek] / tik /

noun

1. a large East Indian tree, Tectona grandis, of the verbena family, yielding a hard, durable, resinous, yellowish-brown wood used for shipbuilding, making furniture, etc.

2. the wood of this tree.

3. any of various similar trees or woods.

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teak British  

/ tiːk /

noun

1. a large verbenaceous tree, Tectona grandis, of the East Indies, having white flowers and yielding a valuable dense wood

2. the hard resinous yellowish-brown wood of this tree, used for furniture making, etc

3. any of various similar trees or their wood

4. a brown or yellowish-brown colour

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Etymology

Origin of teak

1665–75; earlier teke < Portuguese teca < Malayalam tēkka

Example Sentences

This is not the teak tough Atletico Madrid usually forged by the fierce coaching of Diego Simeone.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Customers typically start with wanting teak until they learn the problem and that alternatives can offer benefits.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

It is a well-known problem that Myanmar teak continues to find its way into supply chains, passed off for example as plantation teak from other tropical countries.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

"The problem for the alternatives is there is nothing quite like real teak," she says.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

We climbed the teak ceremonial chairs and made flying leaps off the stage.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston