bushel

1 of 2

noun

bush·​el ˈbu̇-shəl 

1

: any of various units of dry capacity see Weights and Measures Table

2

: a container holding a bushel

3

: a large quantity

bushels of money

bushel

2 of 2

verb

busheled; busheling ˈbu̇-sh(ə-)liŋ 

: repair, renovate

busheler

ˈbu̇-sh(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun

• ton
• dozen
• loads
• plenty
• slew
• quantity
• pile
• bunch
• chunk

Examples of bushel in a Sentence

Noun

picked up a bushel of decorations at the after-Christmas sale

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Four bushels of leeks—Naama is on a leek kick this month and won’t stop scrolling the Times recipe app at all hours of the night, LOL! —Iris Bahr, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025

This year, though, that number dropped precipitously, amounting to just 218 million bushels during the first eight months of 2025. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

In 2024, farmers in the state harvested 102 million bushels of soybeans, according to the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025

In places as far-flung as Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Serbia, from antiquity to the present day, tornadoes have sucked up aquatic creatures by the bushel and carried them several miles away. —Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English busshel, from Anglo-French bussel, buschelle, from Old French boisse measure of grain, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish boss breadth of the hand

Verb

probably from German bosseln to do poor work, to patch; akin to Old English bēatan to beat

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bushel

• hide one's light under a bushel

Kids Definition

bushel

noun

bush·​el

ˈbu̇sh-əl

1

: any of various units of dry capacity see measure

2

: a container holding a bushel

3

: a large quantity