as in thicket
a thick patch of shrubbery, small trees, or underbrush
cleared away the brushwood in order to build a shed
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Recent Examples of brushwood
During one expedition to what was once London, a young scientist, out gathering brushwood, unearths a small vacuum flask, inside which is a handwritten account of life in a small village called Beadle during the days leading up to the lunar catastrophe.
—
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
Bare dunes were planted with ‘brushwood and windbreaks, perpendicular to wind direction’ so that the dunes do not interfere with the canal system and irrigated farmlands.
—Azera Parveen Rahman, Quartz, 27 Oct. 2022
To prove it, a model fort wall was built, with a huge pile of brushwood leaning against it.
—National Geographic, 3 Mar. 2016
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
Bare dunes were planted with ‘brushwood and windbreaks, perpendicular to wind direction’ so that the dunes do not interfere with the canal system and irrigated farmlands.
—Azera Parveen Rahman, Quartz, 27 Oct. 2022
To prove it, a model fort wall was built, with a huge pile of brushwood leaning against it.
—National Geographic, 3 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushwood
Noun
-
This wonderful, hardy, and disease-resistant tree gradually develops into a beautiful understory thicket, providing habitat for wildlife.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
21 Jan. 2026
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The plant in question actually consists of 70 Jurupa oak (Quercus palmeri) stem clusters, only three feet tall, that stand together as a flowering, non-acorn producing clonal colony in the form of a thicket, 82 feet long by 26 feet wide, estimated to be at least 13,000 years old.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Research shows people who live near or regularly visit parks, forests, or other natural areas have lower rates of heart disease and stroke.—
Alexandria Nyembwe,
Health,
20 Feb. 2026
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The snowpack the skiers had been travelling on had a weak layer that had been loaded up with snow, making conditions ripe for an avalanche, according to Chris Feutrier, USDA forest supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Walk in forests where dragonflies buzz and orchids bloom in secret copses.—
Lydia Bell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
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Except for two copses of skyscrapers in which our financiers—and finances—go up and down, London remains a fairly horizontal city.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The two most straightforward of the trials will involve large-scale planting of trees and bioenergy crops, including Miscanthus grasses and coppice willow, reports Robert Lea for AZoCleanTech.—
Alex Fox,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 May 2021
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Another strategy, called short rotation coppice, involves planting fast-growing trees such as willows and poplars in extremely dense rows.—
Eric Toensmeier,
Scientific American,
1 Aug. 2020
Noun
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The Spa Step into the thick of the rainforest’s groves at Sugar Beach’s Rainforest Spa.—
Nneka M. Okona,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
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The land, which is home to herds of pronghorn antelope, mountain lions, wolves, mule deer and groves of aspen trees, was originally planned for geothermal development when Santa Clara city leaders bought it nearly 50 years ago.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hwange provides a more secluded bush experience than many safari destinations.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Encasing the entire property, from the street, past the 5,600 square-foot mansion and around those nice bushes, is a paved driveway that spills into a private cul-de-sac next to the garage.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Along the way, hikers are surrounded by mafic southern mixed chaparral, a unique type of chaparral vegetation that is found in mafic soils, which are rich in magnesium and iron.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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In the hills, in the hollows, up the draws and the old dirt logging roads, hidden in the chaparral above the fog line, growing and selling weed became a way of life, woven into the community and its economy.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Never use the brakes suddenly because this may cause the car to skid.—
Bay Area Weather Report,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brushwood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushwood. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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