boughs

plural of bough
as in branches
a major outgrowth from the main stem of a woody plant a tree bough fell on my car during the windstorm

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of boughs By early summer, the tents sag like dirty diapers from the undersides of boughs. Ben Crair, New Yorker, 31 July 2026 There is something magical about the trees—tourists travel miles to stand under their twisted boughs. Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026 The day was otherwise cheerful; sunshine dappled through evergreen boughs. Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026 Then use dead leaves, small boughs, or wood chips to fill in open spaces and make the bottom layer roughly level with the stump. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026 Laying the boughs over perennial beds for the winter to afford them protection from cold and wind. David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026 Spray the underside of the branches, focusing on the cut ends of the boughs, Hunter says, because that’s where the moisture can be absorbed the fastest. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2025 Saturnalia, in honor of the sun god, Saturn, included decorating homes with evergreen boughs, wreaths and garlands to symbolize renewal. Scott Neuman, NPR, 17 Dec. 2025 Gleaming in the boughs were pearlescent apples. Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boughs
Noun
  • Prune tree limbs so the lowest branches are 6 to 10 feet from the ground.
    Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Typically, people with FOP rely on wheelchairs by age 25 as the bone accumulation locks up their limbs, and only some live into their 50s.
    Andrew Joseph, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
  • And one chamber—the one with the fragmented remains of four people—may have experienced a fire, since the remains had clearly been damaged by excessive heat (as high as 550° Celsius, or 1,022° F), particularly the crania and lower limbs.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Boughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boughs. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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