as in grove
a thick patch of shrubbery, small trees, or underbrush
the rabbit darted into the chaparral
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 chaparral
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
The Eaton fire ripped through the Rubio Canyon Preserve, seriously damaging the canyon’s chaparral, coast sage scrub and riparian habitats.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That’s because well-off Angelenos tend to live on mountains and hillsides and in canyons that are covered in highly flammable chaparral, which are an excellent breeding ground for rapidly spreading fires, driven by Santa Ana winds of up to 100 mph.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
It's been fueled by a mix of timber, chaparral and brush.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaparral
Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
The Eaton fire ripped through the Rubio Canyon Preserve, seriously damaging the canyon’s chaparral, coast sage scrub and riparian habitats.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
That’s because well-off Angelenos tend to live on mountains and hillsides and in canyons that are covered in highly flammable chaparral, which are an excellent breeding ground for rapidly spreading fires, driven by Santa Ana winds of up to 100 mph.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
It's been fueled by a mix of timber, chaparral and brush.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chaparral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaparral
Noun
-
But groves obliterated vast stretches of pristine land.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Redwood includes old-growth redwood groves, open prairie, miles of California coastline, and two rivers.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
As Laugier’s story continues, the man wanders through a forest, stumbles upon fallen branches, and has an epiphany.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Delaney's love of gardening, birds and the forest inspired her decision to be transformed into soil — literally — through a process known as natural organic reduction.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Yet lilac bushes can be monsters.—
Beth Botts,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Although cucumbers and squash plants get big, bush-type varieties can be cultivated in pots and small spaces.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
This tree is notorious for being highly invasive, often cross-pollinating with other pear varieties, resulting in dense, thorny thickets that disrupt local ecosystems.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Its large, thorny stems creep out from the base of the plant to form a thicket.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Archaeologists found that the site’s foragers had crafted small huts from brushwood, weaving them into dome-like structures enclosing a central hearth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Here, the train rolls into one of Scotland’s most remote stations, arriving via a line built up on a raft of roots and brushwood because traditional foundations failed in the boggy ground.—
Rosie Conroy,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His house sits across from what used to be a thick copse of woods.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Captured by the photographer Lee Jaffe in 1983, Basquiat wears a wide-brimmed hat against a blue summer sky, a copse of softly out-of-focus trees visible in the background.—
Laura May Todd,
Vogue,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
One boy quickly slammed on the brakes, as a girl administered medication Taylor was holding and others called for help.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The sharp contraction in film and TV production since 2022 has been a global phenomenon, as major studios pumped the brakes on the streaming frenzy of the previous decade.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chaparral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaparral. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
