bush

bush — noun

1. a short woody plant whose many thin branches spread outward from near the soil,

1.nounB2
Definition

a short woody plant whose many thin branches spread outward from near the soil, so the whole thing looks like a low, rounded clump rather than a tree with a single trunk.

Example

Maya planted a row of rose bushes along the back fence.

noun + bush compound: rose bush

A small brown rabbit hopped out from behind the bush.

Common collocations
  • rose bush
  • berry bush
  • thorn bush
  • trim a bush
  • hide behind a bush
Synonyms
  • shrub

    more technical or gardening term for the same plant

  • hedge

    a line of bushes grown together as a barrier or fence

Usage Note

Often forms compounds naming the plant: rose bush, berry bush, holly bush. Distinguish from a tree (single tall trunk) and from a hedge (a row of bushes planted as a wall).

Common Mistakes

A bush is a small tree.
A bush has many stems coming from the ground, while a tree has one main trunk.
bush and tree are different plant shapes, not size labels.

2. wild, empty country far from towns, especially in Australia, New Zealand, or par

2.nounC1
Definition

wild, empty country far from towns, especially in Australia, New Zealand, or parts of Africa, where the land has never been farmed and is covered with low trees, scrub, or rough plants.

Example

Lina grew up on a sheep farm deep in the Australian bush.

fixed phrase: the Australian bush

The pilot landed his small plane on a dusty strip out in the bush.

preposition: in the bush

Common collocations
  • the Australian bush
  • in the bush
  • out in the bush
  • bush track
  • bush fire
Synonyms
  • outback

    specifically the dry, remote inland of Australia

  • wilderness

    wider term, used worldwide; not tied to any region

Antonyms
  • city

    the opposite kind of human settlement

Grammar Patterns

the bush

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by 'the' (in the bush, out in the bush). Country-specific: it suggests wild Australian, New Zealand, or African landscape, not the wilderness of, say, North America (which would be 'the wilderness' or 'the backcountry').

Common Mistakes

I went hiking in bush yesterday.
I went hiking in the bush yesterday.
this sense almost always takes 'the'.

3. a thick, fluffy mass of hair, fur, or similar material that sticks out around so

3.noun
Definition

a thick, fluffy mass of hair, fur, or similar material that sticks out around someone's head or another part of the body, looking somewhat like a small shrub.

Example

Marcus had a wild bush of curly red hair.

pattern: a bush of [hair]

The squirrel flicked its long bush of a tail and ran up the oak.

Common collocations
  • a bush of hair
  • a bush of curls
  • a bush of fur
Synonyms
  • mop

    informal; a thick untidy mass of hair on the head

  • tuft

    a smaller cluster, often standing up rather than rounded

Grammar Patterns

a bush of [hair/fur/something soft]

Usage Note

Use this sense for a metaphorical comparison only: the hair or fur must be visibly thick, full, and round. Don't apply to neat or short hair. Distinguish from sense 4 (specifically pubic hair).

Common Mistakes

She has a small bush of straight hair.
She has a small bush of curly hair.
this metaphor needs hair that is thick, fluffy or rounded, not flat or straight.

4. an informal and somewhat indelicate word for the hair that grows around a person

4.noun
Definition

an informal and somewhat indelicate word for the hair that grows around a person's genitals, more often used to refer to a woman's.

Example

Maya talked with her doctor about how to trim her bush comfortably before swimsuit season.

intimate context: trim + bush

The magazine ran a frank article on whether women should keep or remove their bush.

Common collocations
  • trim a bush
  • natural bush
  • shave the bush
Synonyms

Usage Note

Slang and intimate; restricted to informal contexts such as comedy, magazine articles, or close conversation. Avoid in formal writing, where 'pubic hair' is the neutral term.

Common Mistakes

The doctor asked about my bush during the exam.
The doctor asked about my pubic hair during the exam.
in clinical or formal settings, use the neutral term.
Idioms

beat about the bush

idiom

To avoid saying something directly by talking about other things.

Mina beat about the bush before asking for a raise.

Why do you beat about the bush? Just tell me the truth.

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

idiom

It is better to keep what you have than to risk losing it by trying to get something better.

Diego kept his old job because a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Sara decided not to gamble her savings, knowing a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

bush — verb

bush — adjective

Word family

  • bushy
    adjectiveB2
  • bushland
    nounC1
  • bushman
    nounC1
  • bushfire
    nounC1
  • bushwhack
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name woody plants, but they differ in shape, use, and register. A 'bush' is everyday English for a low woody plant whose many branches spread from near the ground; speakers reach for it in casual gardening talk: 'the rabbit hid behind a bush'. 'Shrub' covers exactly the same plant shape but is more technical, common in nursery catalogues, plant labels, and serious gardening writing: 'an evergreen shrub for shaded beds'. A 'hedge' is not a single plant but a row of bushes (often the same species) grown close together to form a living wall around a garden or field. A 'tree' has one tall main trunk that branches only higher up, so it stands clearly apart from any bush. Note also: a single bush can be trimmed into part of a hedge, and a young tree can briefly look like a bush, but the words still pick out different ideas of plant shape and human use.

bush ↗shrubhedge ↗tree ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • rose bush
  • berry bush
  • thorn bush
  • bush fire
  • bush walk
  • bush track
  • bush league

Adverbs

Phrases

  • beat about the bush (idiomatic)
  • the back of beyond / out in the bush

Prepositions

  • behind a bush
  • in the bush
  • out in the bush
  • into the bushes
  • through the bush

Etymology

GermanicOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

The English word 'bush' comes from Middle English 'busch' or 'bosch', a small woody plant, which was shaped by Old French 'busche' (a piece of firewood) and by related Germanic words such as Old High German 'busc' and Middle Dutch 'busch', all carrying the basic idea of a clump of small woody growth. From the plant sense, English speakers extended the word in two directions. By the 1700s and 1800s, settlers in southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand used 'the bush' for the wide, scrub-covered country they were moving into, and that geographic sense gave us later compounds like 'bush fire' and 'bushman'. From the same plant image came figurative uses: a thick mass of hair, and (chiefly in American English) anything 'bush' or 'bush league' — that is, far from the big city and below professional standard, originally said of small-town minor-league baseball teams.