hedge
hedge — noun
1. a living fence created by planting shrubs or small trees in a continuous line, c
a living fence created by planting shrubs or small trees in a continuous line, commonly used to mark the boundary of a yard, farmland, or other outdoor area
The gardener trimmed the tall hedge that separated the two gardens.
collocation: trim a hedge
Birds often build their nests inside thick hedges during spring.
collocation: thick hedge
A low hedge of lavender lined the front path of the cottage.
hedge of [plant type]
The old stone wall was replaced by a hedge of hawthorn and blackthorn.
Rabbits can hide easily in the hedge along the farmer's field.
- trim a hedge
- plant a hedge
- thick hedge
- tall hedge
- hedge of [plant type]
- hedgerow
a line of wild shrubs and trees, usually in the countryside; more natural and less maintained than a hedge
- shrub border
a garden planting of bushes used as decoration rather than a boundary
Common Mistakes
2. something that you do or arrange to protect yourself against possible loss or da
something that you do or arrange to protect yourself against possible loss or damage, especially financial loss from changes in prices, interest rates, or exchange rates
Buying gold can be a good hedge against inflation during uncertain times.
hedge against [risk]
The investor used currency futures as a hedge against the falling dollar.
hedge against [financial risk]
After losing money in tech stocks, Mei-Lin used bond ETFs as a hedge against further losses.
hedge against [risk]
Farmers often buy crop insurance as a hedge against a poor harvest.
hedge against + [negative outcome]
The company set aside emergency funds as a hedge against unexpected costs.
- hedge against [risk]
- hedge fund
- form of hedge
- act as a hedge
- good hedge
- risk
a hedge reduces risk; risk is what the hedge protects against
Usage Note
Often followed by 'against' to specify the risk or loss being protected from. Common in financial and business contexts.
Common Mistakes
3. language used deliberately to avoid stating something directly or honestly, so t
language used deliberately to avoid stating something directly or honestly, so that what you say sounds less definite than your true opinion
The politician's speech was full of hedges like 'possibly' and 'it depends on the circumstances.'
noun: hedges = evasive words or phrases
When asked about the budget cut, the manager offered only hedges and vague promises.
Skilled negotiators use verbal hedges to keep their options open during talks.
collocation: verbal hedges
The lawyer spotted every hedge in the witness's testimony and pressed for clearer answers.
- verbal hedges
- full of hedges
- use a hedge
- hedge words
- equivocation
more formal than hedge; implies deliberate misleading through ambiguity rather than just cautious wording
- evasion
a broader term for any act of avoiding a direct answer; hedge specifically refers to the linguistic tool used
- straight talk
direct and honest communication without attempted avoidance
Usage Note
Usually appears in formal or professional contexts such as politics, law, or business negotiations. Often plural (hedges) when referring to the specific words or phrases used.
hedge — verb
1. to tightly restrict someone's freedom to move or act by putting limits, rules, o
to tightly restrict someone's freedom to move or act by putting limits, rules, or obstacles around them
Hiro felt hedged in by all the rules his new landlord had imposed.
passive: be hedged in by [restrictions]
The school's curriculum was hedged about with strict government regulations.
passive: be hedged about with [limits]
A series of legal constraints hedged the small business in at every turn.
active: [restrictions] hedge [someone] in
The research team felt their creativity was hedged by tight deadlines and budget limits.
passive: be hedged by [something]
Élise refused to let fear hedge her choices when she started her own business.
- hedged in by
- hedged about with
- hedged around by
- feel hedged
- free
to release from restrictions
Grammar Patterns
be hedged in by [restrictions]
be hedged about with [rules]
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive voice ('be hedged in by' or 'be hedged about/around with'). The active form usually takes an abstract subject (rules, regulations, fear) rather than a person.
Common Mistakes
2. to avoid making a definite statement or decision, often by using unclear languag
to avoid making a definite statement or decision, often by using unclear language or changing the subject when pressed for an answer
When the reporter asked about the scandal, the minister hedged and changed the topic.
hedge = avoid answering directly
Jude hedged at every question about his plans for the company's future.
hedge at [question]
Stop hedging and tell us whether you support the new policy or not.
stop hedging: used as a command
Manuela hedged when her boss asked whether she would accept the overseas posting.
The candidate hedged so often that voters could not tell where he stood.
- hedge at [question]
- stop hedging
- hedge on [issue]
- dodge
more informal and implies a quick, clever avoidance; hedge suggests cautious, reluctant delaying
- equivocate
more formal than hedge; means to use deliberately ambiguous language
- prevaricate
formal; implies lying or stretching the truth to avoid commitment
- commit
to give a clear, definite answer or position
Grammar Patterns
hedge at [question/issue]
Usage Note
Often followed by 'at' when referring to a specific question or issue: 'hedge at the question'. Can also be used intransitively without a preposition: 'Stop hedging!'
Common Mistakes
3. to take action to reduce the risk of losing money by making investments or arran
to take action to reduce the risk of losing money by making investments or arrangements that protect against price, interest rate, or currency changes
The grain trader hedged his position by selling futures contracts early.
hedge + [financial position] + by [action]
Many companies hedge their currency exposure when trading with foreign partners.
hedge + [currency/financial] exposure
Reuben hedged his bets by investing in both technology stocks and government bonds.
idiom: hedge your bets = reduce risk through multiple strategies
The airline company hedged against rising fuel costs by locking in current prices.
hedge against [risk]
Small investors can hedge their savings by holding a mix of assets across different markets.
- hedge against [risk]
- hedge [investment] against
- hedge your bets
- hedge currency exposure
- insure
implies paying a premium for protection; hedge involves counterbalancing actions rather than buying insurance
- offset
means to balance one risk against another, without the protective connotation of hedge
- diversify
a broader strategy of spreading investments; hedging is one specific way to diversify
- gamble
to take a risk for possible gain, the opposite of protecting against loss
Grammar Patterns
hedge [investment] against [risk]
Usage Note
Common in finance and business contexts. The object is usually the investment or asset at risk, and 'against' introduces the specific risk being protected from. The idiom 'hedge your bets' extends this idea to any situation where keeping multiple options reduces risk.
Common Mistakes
4. to physically enclose an area with a hedge of planted bushes or small trees — an
to physically enclose an area with a hedge of planted bushes or small trees — an action (creating a boundary), as opposed to the hedge itself (noun sense 1)
The vegetable patch was hedged with rosemary and thyme to keep animals out.
passive: be hedged with [plants]
The original owners hedged the entire property with tall laurel bushes.
active: hedge [area] with [plant]
Christopher hedged off a corner of the garden to create a quiet reading spot.
hedge off = separate with a hedge
The lane was hedged on both sides by blackberry bushes that formed a green tunnel.
- hedge with [plants]
- hedge off
- hedged on both sides
- open
to remove barriers or create an open space
Grammar Patterns
be hedged with [plants]
hedge [area] off
Usage Note
This sense refers to the physical action of planting a hedge as a boundary. The phrasal form 'hedge off' means to separate or partition an area using a hedge.
hedge someone/something in
phrasal verbto surround someone or something with so many restrictions, rules, or limiting conditions that they cannot act freely or effectively
The small farm was hedged in by large corporate fields that blocked access to the main road.
The new teachers complained that they felt hedged in by too many administrative procedures.
hedge your bets
idiomto reduce the risk of failure or loss by choosing more than one possible course of action at the same time, so that you still have a good chance of success if one option fails
Rather than focusing on one career path, Tara hedged her bets by training in both law and accounting.
The investor hedged his bets by putting money into both real estate and the stock market.
hedge — adjective
1. related to making or taking care of garden hedges, including the tools used for
related to making or taking care of garden hedges, including the tools used for cutting, trimming, or planting them
The garden centre has a special section for hedge plants like boxwood and privet.
collocation: hedge plants
Hedge trimmers are dangerous tools that should be handled with care.
collocation: hedge trimmer
The landscaper recommended a hedge species that would grow well in partial shade.
collocation: hedge species
Shirin bought a new pair of hedge shears to replace the rusty old ones.
collocation: hedge shears
- hedge plants
- hedge trimmer
- hedge species
- hedge cutter
Usage Note
This adjective is almost always used before a noun. Common in gardening and landscaping contexts. The most frequent compounds are 'hedge plant', 'hedge trimmer', and 'hedge species'.
2. designating wild plants or small animals that grow or live in hedges at the side
designating wild plants or small animals that grow or live in hedges at the side of roads or fields, rather than tools or products for hedge care
Hedge garlic is a common wild plant that grows along country lanes in spring.
compound: hedge garlic
The children collected hedge berries to make jam, as their grandmother had taught them.
Hedge parsley can be found along footpaths and field edges throughout the summer.
compound: hedge parsley
Hedge woundwort is a wildflower that thrives in the shady edges of country lanes.
compound: hedge woundwort
- hedge garlic
- hedge parsley
- hedge berries
- hedge mustard
- hedgerow
used as a modifier in similar compounds (e.g. 'hedgerow plants'), but describes the whole row rather than plants growing alongside
Usage Note
Primarily used in British English in compound names of wild plants and occasionally small animals found in hedgerows. Rare in American English.
3. of lower than average quality or value; not as good as the usual standard
of lower than average quality or value; not as good as the usual standard
The pub served a hedge wine that tasted more like vinegar than actual wine.
compound: hedge wine = low-quality wine
The travellers had to make do with hedge accommodation that was damp and poorly heated.
compound: hedge accommodation
A hedge priest travelled from village to village, holding Mass in secret barns and farmhouses.
compound: hedge priest = low-status, itinerant priest
In the nineteenth century, hedge schools in Ireland offered basic lessons to poor children.
compound: hedge school = makeshift, low-quality school
- hedge wine
- hedge school
- hedge priest
- hedge accommodation
- superior
of higher quality
Usage Note
This sense is now rare and mostly found in older British texts or used humorously. It appears in set compounds like 'hedge wine' (poor-quality wine) or 'hedge school' (a makeshift school in rural Ireland, historically).
Word family
- hedgernounC1
- hedgingnounB2
- hedgingadjectiveC1
- hedgerownounB2
- hedgedadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
A hedge is a living boundary made of planted bushes or small trees that grows over time, while a fence is a man-made structure of wood, metal, or wire that is assembled rather than grown. Hedges blend into the landscape and can provide habitat for wildlife, whereas fences offer immediate, adjustable boundaries. A barrier is the broadest term — it can be any structure or obstacle that blocks movement or access, including walls, fences, or even natural features like rivers. For example, a gardener might plant a hedge of boxwood to mark the edge of a lawn, install a wooden fence for privacy from neighbours, and build a stone barrier to block noise from a nearby road. Of the three, hedge is the only one that is organic and living.
Common collocations
Phrases
- hedge your bets
- act as a hedge
- feel hedged in
Etymology
The word 'hedge' comes from Old English 'hecg', meaning a fence or barrier made of thorny bushes. It is related to the Dutch word 'haag' and the German word 'Hecke', both meaning a living fence of bushes. The original sense of a physical boundary of plants gave rise to the verb meaning 'to enclose', and later developed the metaphorical sense of protecting oneself (as a hedge protects a field), which led to the modern financial meaning of limiting risk.