thicket

noun

thick·​et ˈthi-kət How to pronounce thicket (audio)
1
: a dense growth of shrubbery or small trees : copse
2
: something resembling a thicket in density or impenetrability : tangle
a political thicket
a thicket of reporters
thickety adjective

Examples of thicket in a Sentence

a dense thicket of rosebushes flushed a pheasant from a thicket of willows
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just west of the colorful Punda district, this city park was constructed to pay homage to one of the Caribbean’s most crucial—and vulnerable—ecosystems, with plenty of dense mangrove thickets that harbor all sorts of indigenous species. Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 Harrington, his caddy, and fellow golfers Cink and Justin Leonard trampled through thickets beyond the green like a trio of senior-aged Goonies, Harrington peering helplessly into reeds and bushes before re-teeing and accepting a penalty stroke for a lost ball. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 26 June 2025 But his students are cutting their own path through infinity’s thickets. Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 20 June 2025 Achieving that in this kind of play, though, requires more of a surrogate parental relationship between these two characters and that needs two actors who more clearly occupy the same world and find a mutual way to drive on through its thickets. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for thicket

Word History

Etymology

Middle English *thikket, from Old English thiccet, from thicce thick

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thicket was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thicket. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

thicket

noun
thick·​et ˈthik-ət How to pronounce thicket (audio)
1
: a thick usually small patch of shrubbery, small trees, or underbrush
2
: something resembling a thicket in being crowded together or impenetrable
a thicket of fans

More from Merriam-Webster on thicket

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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