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• bush
  bush

  noun

  a low plant with many branches that arise from or near the ground.
• Bush
  Bush

  noun

  Barbara Barbara Pierce, 1925–2018, U.S. First Lady 1989–93 (wife of George H. W. Bush and mother of George W. Bush).
• bush.
  bush.

  abbreviation

  bushel; bushels.

bush

¹ American  

[boosh] / bʊʃ /

noun

1. a low plant with many branches that arise from or near the ground.

2. a small cluster of shrubs appearing as a single plant.

3. something resembling or suggesting this, as a thick, shaggy head of hair.

4. Also called bush lot.  Canadian. a small, wooded lot, especially a farm lot with trees left standing to provide firewood, fence posts, etc.

5. the tail of a fox; brush.

6. Geography. a stretch of uncultivated land covered with mixed plant growth, bushy vegetation, trees, etc.

7. a large uncleared area thickly covered with mixed plant growth, trees, etc., as a jungle.

8. a large, sparsely populated area most of which is uncleared, as areas of Australia and Alaska.

9. a tree branch hung as a sign before a tavern or vintner's shop.

10. any tavern sign.

11. Slang: Vulgar. pubic hair.

12. Archaic. a wineshop.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be or become bushy; branch or spread as or like a bush.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover, protect, support, or mark with a bush or bushes.

adjective

1. bush-league.

idioms

1. beat the bushes, to scout or search for persons or things far and wide.

   I've been beating the bushes for a skilled, honest, inexpensive renovator.

2. beat around / about the bush, to avoid coming to the point; delay in approaching a subject directly.

   Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want.

3. go bush,

   1. to flee or escape into the bush.

   2. Slang. to become wild.

bush ² American  

[boosh] / bʊʃ /

noun

1. a lining of metal or the like set into an orifice to guard against wearing by friction, erosion, etc.

2. bushing.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a bush; line with metal.

Bush ³ American  

[boosh] / bʊʃ /

noun

1. Barbara Barbara Pierce, 1925–2018, U.S. First Lady 1989–93 (wife of George H. W. Bush and mother of George W. Bush).

2. George (Herbert Walker), 1924–2018, U.S. politician: vice president 1981–89; 41st president of the United States 1989–93.

3. George W(alker), born 1946, U.S. businessman and politician: governor of Texas 1994–2001; 43rd president of the United States 2001–09 (son of George H. W. Bush).

4. Laura Laura Lane Welch, born 1946, U.S. First Lady 2001–09 (wife of George W. Bush).

5. Vannevar 1890–1974, U.S. electrical engineer: education and research administrator.

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bush. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. bushel; bushels.

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bush ¹ British  

/ bʊʃ /

noun

1. a dense woody plant, smaller than a tree, with many branches arising from the lower part of the stem; shrub

2. a dense cluster of such shrubs; thicket

3. something resembling a bush, esp in density

   a bush of hair

4. 1. an uncultivated or sparsely settled area, esp in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada: usually covered with trees or shrubs, varying from open shrubby country to dense rainforest

   2. ( as modifier )

      bush flies

5. Also called: bush lot.   woodlot.  an area of land on a farm on which timber is grown and cut

6. a forested area; woodland

7. informal the countryside, as opposed to the city

   out in the bush

8. a fox's tail; brush

9. obsolete

   1. a bunch of ivy hung as a vintner's sign in front of a tavern

   2. any tavern sign

10. to avoid the point at issue; prevaricate

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adjective

1. informal rough-and-ready

2. informal ignorant or stupid, esp as considered typical of unwesternized rustic life

3. informal unprofessional, unpolished, or second-rate

4. informal

   1. to abandon city amenities and live rough

   2. to run wild

verb

1. (intr) to grow thick and bushy

2. (tr) to cover, decorate, support, etc, with bushes

3. (tr) to camp out in the bush

Bush ² British  

/ bʊʃ /

noun

1. George . born 1924, US Republican politician; vice president of the US (1981–89): 41st president of the US (1989–93)

2. his son, George W ( alker ). born 1946, US Republican politician; 43rd president of the US (2001–09)

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bush ³ British  

/ bʊʃ /

noun

1. Also called (esp US and Canadian): bushing.  a thin metal sleeve or tubular lining serving as a bearing or guide

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verb

1. to fit a bush to (a casing, bearing, etc)

bush More Idioms  

1. see beat around the bush; beat the bushes for; bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

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Other Word Forms

• bushless
  adjective
• bushlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bush¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English busshe, Old English busc (in placenames); cognate with Dutch bos “wood,” German Busch “bush,” Medieval Latin boscus “wood” (compare French bois, Italian bosco, Portuguese, Spanish bosque ), Old Norse buskr “bush”

Origin of bush²

First recorded in 1560–70; from Middle Dutch bussche; see also box ¹

Explanation

A bush is a dense, woody-stemmed plant that grows much shorter and wider than a tree. You might plant a rose bush under your bedroom window. Your yard might be full of bushes of all sorts, from spiky-leafed holly to sweet-smelling gardenia — and you could also call them shrubs. There is also the bush that means "the wilderness" or "the wild country," which is used most often to talk about the Australian outback. This sense of "the middle of nowhere" led to the phrase "bush league," or "unprofessional."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bush Bush bush.

Walking on uneven terrain, such as on grass, gravel or bush trails, can help maintain proprioception.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Treasury interest rates are the traditional North Star for investors because they represent the risk-free rate—a bird in the hand versus what we hope will be two in the bush from more volatile stocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Jouppi swore he had no idea; bush pilots do not rummage through their passengers’ bags.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Citizen Zoo has already begun trialling a bog bush cricket breeding programme.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

I help Marion through, and we crouch behind a bush.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

The younger Bush was different, leaning into his sun-baked upbringing while keeping one boot firmly back East.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

According to Jared Bush, “Clay” is a story about a mentor and student named Flip and Mushi.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Bush, which entered the Navy’s fleet in 2009, was the last aircraft carrier built with steam catapults.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"It's what we call a shell game," said McDonald, who drove one of the vehicles during the Bush administration.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

I had not just a closet but a spacious dressing room adjoining it—the same room from which Laura Bush had shown me the Rose Garden view.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"So we came out in the night hours, we went to the bush. There's a mountain up there, we slept there," said the 31-year-old, his eyes bloodshot.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

“You can have such profound rage at the city and then be gobstopped at a giant feral bush of bougainvillea. And there’s someone sleeping underneath that bush. It’s all of it at once.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

"This is winged euonymus, otherwise known as burning bush. And here is Chinese silver grass. It's a popular ornamental, but the seeds are dispersed by the wind," he said.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 1, 2023

"I’m not going to beat around the bush. Any time a pitcher is in love with his fastball. If he wants to play fire with fire. I love that game."

From Fox News ● Sep. 26, 2021

“I’ll be able to see what’s going on when I get around this bush. I’ll try to yell if I get captured or anything. Be ready.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull