thicket

noun

thick·​et ˈthi-kət 

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

ˈthi-kə-tē 

adjective

Synonyms of thicket

• forest
• copse
• grove
• bush
• brushwood
• coppice
• chaparral
• tangle
• brake
• jungle

Examples of thicket in a Sentence

a dense thicket of rosebushes

flushed a pheasant from a thicket of willows

Recent Examples on the Web

The solution, Shive and Conway said, is removing many of the overgrown smaller trees that surround the giant sequoias in dense thickets, like white fir, red fir and incense cedar. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026

The oasis is packed with dense thickets of date palms and banana plantations. —Julie Bourdin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026

Many a turkey hunter has taken a stand in a thicket and called to a gobbler time and time again, only to have the bird walk away after a long exchange. —Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026

Depending on the species, privet hedges can be aggressive invaders that form dense thickets that shade nearby native plants. —Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for thicket

• chicot
• cricket
• picket
• picot
• ticket
• wicket

Kids Definition

thicket

noun

thick·​et ˈthik-ət 

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