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 of bushel

Noun

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

But a farmer harvesting 150 bushels of corn per year from a field must replenish the nutrients to grow corn again the next year. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 June 2026

Because one out of every four bushels of wheat grown in this country is shipped to Russia, such an embargo would have a devastating effect on the wheat farmers in this country, and Boone County, among others, would suffer the consequences. —Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026

Williams saw close to 100 bushels of wheat per acre irrigated last year, but this year might only have 30 to 40. —ABC News, 20 May 2026

There was a bushel basket full of chapstick for these firemen. —Kailey Schuyler, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026

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