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

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

Examples of chaparral in a Sentence

the rabbit darted into the chaparral

Recent Examples on the Web

Much of that region is covered by chaparral and grassland, which can be very flammable. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025

La Jolla Walk-In Campsite The La Jolla Walk-In Campsite is a small campground in dense chaparral in Point Mugu State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025

But wildfire experts say cutting down Southern California's chaparral won't make the region safer from wildfires. —Lauren Sommer, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025

Hazardous fire areas were considered to be at greater risk for wildfire due to their proximity to highly flammable vegetation including the native chaparral that is present in many areas of Poway’s open spaces. —Christian Martinez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025

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
• musicale
• perceval
• rationale
• supernal
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal
• shall

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