chaparral

noun

chap·​ar·​ral ˌsha-pə-ˈral 

-ˈrel

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

Synonyms of chaparral

• grove
• forest
• bush
• thicket
• brushwood
• copse
• coppice
• brake
• jungle

Examples of chaparral in a Sentence

the rabbit darted into the chaparral

Recent Examples on the Web

Stepping on stems is attention-getting, but the result is a wine that echoes the chaparral of the hillsides surrounding the vineyard. — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 5 July 2026

An adventure among the mustangs, the chaparrals, the arroyos, the wide purple this and that. — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

As the Eaton and Palisades fires roared across the Altadena area and the coastal Santa Monica Mountains in January 2025, the flames were fueled in part by accumulations of bone-dry chaparral, brush and other vegetation. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

Highlights include a pink-flowering chaparral mallow, rarely seen in gardens, a white sage valued by Native Americans and the buckwheat Sterman found in San Miguel Island, plus several new oaks. — Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from chaparro dwarf evergreen oak, from Basque txapar

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chaparral

• chaparral cock

Rhymes for chaparral

• ileal
• nonformal
• perceval
• rationale
• supernal
• urinal
• artisanal
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal

Kids Definition

chaparral

noun

chap·​ar·​ral ˌshap-ə-ˈral 

-ˈrel

1

: a thicket of dwarf evergreen oaks

also : a dense thicket

2

: an ecological community that is found especially in parts of southern California and is composed of shrubby plants that grow well in dry sunny summers and moist winters