1
: any of a genus (Betula of the family Betulaceae, the birch family) of monoecious deciduous trees or shrubs having simple petioled leaves and typically a layered membranous outer bark that peels readily
2
: the hard pale close-grained wood of a birch
3
: a birch rod or bundle of twigs for flogging
Examples of birch in a Sentence
Noun
a cabinet made of birch
In those days, schoolchildren got the birch when they misbehaved.
Verb
students at the private school were once routinely birched for violating the rules
always a stern disciplinarian, our father birched anyone who talked back
Recent Examples on the Web
Grace Edquist, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
The display features a larger-than-life horse sculpture trotting through birch trees created from piano keys.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Kerri Westenberg, Star Tribune, 11 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for birch
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Noun
Looking through sketchbooks of Kaish’s time at MacDowell, Fisher found many drawings of the flowers and birch trees that would have surrounded her.
—Grace Edquist, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
The display features a larger-than-life horse sculpture trotting through birch trees created from piano keys.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Find yellow aspen and birch along the shoreline and red maples inland.
—Kerri Westenberg, Star Tribune, 11 Sep. 2020
See All Example Sentences for birch
Cite this Entry
“Birch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birch. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
birch
2 of 2 verb
: to whip with or as if with a birch
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