sagebrush

noun sage·brush \ ˈsāj-ˌbrəsh \

Definition of sagebrush

:any of several North American hoary composite subshrubs (genus Artemisia); especially :one (A. tridentata) having a bitter juice and an odor resembling sage and often covering vast tracts of alkaline plains in the western U.S.

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Recent Examples of sagebrush from the Web

The ground and most the sagebrush that the pygmy rabbits rely on were charred black.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "BLM firefighters take a break from battling blazes to rescue endangered pygmy bunnies," 12 July 2017
The metallic-looking, lightweight fabric was scattered, shredded across the gravel and sagebrush of the New Mexico desert.

— donovan webster, Smithsonian, "In 1947, A High-Altitude Balloon Crash Landed in Roswell. The Aliens Never Left," 6 July 2017
The final, two-mile haul up the side of the mountain had its advantages - shorter sagebrush, for one - but the climb felt like an eternity to my tired legs.

— jamie hale, OregonLive.com, "A rugged, high desert adventure to the top of Hart Mountain," 1 July 2017
At 6 a.m. on Tuesday the type 2 Rocky Mountain Area Incident Management Team Black assumed control of the fire, which is burning in sagebrush, pinyon juniper and cheat grass.

— tom mcghee, The Denver Post, "Dead Dog fire in northwestern Colorado now 16,470 acres," 13 June 2017
The grayscale canyon suddenly transformed into a rainbow of color: deep blue hues on the John Day River, dark reds of the canyon walls, a golden brown blanket of high desert steppe, and the otherworldly green of fresh spring sagebrush.

— jamie hale, OregonLive.com, "A colorful journey through Cottonwood Canyon," 3 June 2017
Set out from the parking area along a wide trail that cuts through sweet-smelling sagebrush.

— caitlin moran, The Seattle Times, "A Hike and a Happy Hour: Trek to Ancient Lakes, trot to Iron Horse Brewery," 26 Apr. 2017
The landscape mirrors the American Southwest — all buttes and sagebrush.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Review: ‘Final Fantasy XV’ — a road trip that moves series in right direction," 4 Jan. 2017
Good pay for skilled labor is the culture here in Colstrip, a town surrounded by sagebrush that sprung to life in 1924 to provide coal for the locomotives of the Northern Pacific Railway.

— matt brown, National Geographic, "The Town That Coal Built Faces a Cloudy Future in Global Energy Shift," 2 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sagebrush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sagebrush

1850

SAGEBRUSH Defined for English Language Learners

sagebrush

noun

Definition of sagebrush for English Language Learners

: a small plant that has leaves with a strong smell and that grows in dry areas of the western U.S.

SAGEBRUSH Defined for Kids

sagebrush

noun sage·brush \ ˈsāj-ˌbrəsh \

Definition of sagebrush for Students

:a plant of the western United States that grows as a low shrub and has a bitter juice and strong smell

Learn More about sagebrush

See words that rhyme with sagebrush Spanish Central: Translation of sagebrush Nglish: Translation of sagebrush for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sagebrush

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sagebrush

Definition of sagebrush

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SAGEBRUSH Defined for English Language Learners

sagebrush

Definition of sagebrush for English Language Learners

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sagebrush

Definition of sagebrush for Students

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SAGEBRUSH Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of sagebrush for English Language Learners

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