Definition of chaparral
1 : a thicket of dwarf evergreen oaks; broadly : a dense impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees
2 : an ecological community composed of shrubby plants adapted to dry summers and moist winters that occurs especially in southern California
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Examples of chaparral in a Sentence
the rabbit darted into the chaparral
Recent Examples of chaparral from the Web
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The blaze is burning in thick chaparral that has not seen a fire in more than 40 years.
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Two other buildings burned in San Luis Obispo County, where the fire is 65 percent contained after scorching 2 ½ -square miles of grass and 12-foot-high chaparral.
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Near Big Bear, firefighters battled an 850-acre wildfire that erupted Monday afternoon and swiftly burned through grass and chaparral.
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Chaparrals coach Kevin Tyrrell played him in 46 of 55 games.
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Continuing on, the trail dipped into the forest of spruce and chaparral.
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It is believed to have formed naturally, with white sage growing in soil consisting of light gray granite and white quartz that contrasts with the surrounding chaparral and greasewood.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chaparral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of chaparral
Spanish, from chaparro dwarf evergreen oak, from Basque txapar
CHAPARRAL Defined for English Language Learners
chaparral
playDefinition of chaparral for English Language Learners
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: an area of dry land especially in southern California that is covered with bushes and short trees
Learn More about chaparral
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See words that rhyme with chaparral Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chaparral Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chaparral
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