thicket

noun

thick·​et ˈthi-kət How to pronounce thicket (audio)
Synonyms of thicketnext
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.
The seedlings and saplings are mostly knee-high to chest-high and mixed with thickets of ceanothus and other post-fire brush growing amid the true giants that stand dead among them. Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026 Masri’s drumming is lithe and spacious even at its most aggressive; just as Alcorn’s guitar slides move with a gravity-defying, naturalistic force, his attacks seem to sprout out of each other independently, emerging in thickets. H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 4 Mar. 2026 To the northwest, a tangled and primordial thicket flourished. Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026 Robert’s large property borders a clear cut — a clearing where a pine thicket had been cut down in the summer of 2009 — leaving behind a mess of tree stumps and roots. Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026 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 19 Mar. 2026.

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

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