as in thicket
a thick patch of shrubbery, small trees, or underbrush
cleared away the brushwood in order to build a shed
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Recent Examples of brushwood
Here, the train rolls into one of Scotland’s most remote stations, arriving via a line built up on a raft of roots and brushwood because traditional foundations failed in the boggy ground.
—
Rosie Conroy, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
During one expedition to what was once London, a young scientist, out gathering brushwood, unearths a small vacuum flask, inside which is a handwritten account of life in a small village called Beadle during the days leading up to the lunar catastrophe.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
Bare dunes were planted with ‘brushwood and windbreaks, perpendicular to wind direction’ so that the dunes do not interfere with the canal system and irrigated farmlands.
—Azera Parveen Rahman, Quartz, 27 Oct. 2022
To prove it, a model fort wall was built, with a huge pile of brushwood leaning against it.
—National Geographic, 3 Mar. 2016
Rosie Conroy, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
During one expedition to what was once London, a young scientist, out gathering brushwood, unearths a small vacuum flask, inside which is a handwritten account of life in a small village called Beadle during the days leading up to the lunar catastrophe.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
Bare dunes were planted with ‘brushwood and windbreaks, perpendicular to wind direction’ so that the dunes do not interfere with the canal system and irrigated farmlands.
—Azera Parveen Rahman, Quartz, 27 Oct. 2022
To prove it, a model fort wall was built, with a huge pile of brushwood leaning against it.
—National Geographic, 3 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushwood
Noun
-
Depending on the species, privet hedges can be aggressive invaders that form dense thickets that shade nearby native plants.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
-
While not thorns, these foliar teeth can take a bite out of those who attempt to cross a thicket of torch aloes.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The school raised the majority of the funding for the forest from the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, which will also support an environmental science project on campus.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His house sits across from what used to be a thick copse of woods.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Captured by the photographer Lee Jaffe in 1983, Basquiat wears a wide-brimmed hat against a blue summer sky, a copse of softly out-of-focus trees visible in the background.—
Laura May Todd,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The two most straightforward of the trials will involve large-scale planting of trees and bioenergy crops, including Miscanthus grasses and coppice willow, reports Robert Lea for AZoCleanTech.—
Alex Fox,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 May 2021
-
Another strategy, called short rotation coppice, involves planting fast-growing trees such as willows and poplars in extremely dense rows.—
Eric Toensmeier,
Scientific American,
1 Aug. 2020
Noun
-
Tune into yourself while tuning out the outside world courtesy of an E-bike ride under the Tuscan sun, a stroll through the olive groves, a dip in the infinity pool, a meditative massage, or a private cooking class using ingredients sourced from the property.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In the north of Kyoto is Arashiyama, famed for its lush bamboo groves.—
Jessica Kozuka,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 13th hole, titled Azalea, is home to about 1,600 bushes that reach their peak brilliance during tournament week.—
LP O'Brien,
AJC.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The story began on March 24, when a hiker slipped and fell from a 180-foot waterfall in wild New Zealand bush.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Along the way, hikers are surrounded by mafic southern mixed chaparral, a unique type of chaparral vegetation that is found in mafic soils, which are rich in magnesium and iron.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In the hills, in the hollows, up the draws and the old dirt logging roads, hidden in the chaparral above the fog line, growing and selling weed became a way of life, woven into the community and its economy.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At a hearing on Tuesday, some councilors aimed to put the brakes on that.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But most of the original elements have been restored, including the interior and exterior paint colors, window functions, gear shifts and brake lights.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brushwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushwood. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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