bough

[ bou ]

/ baʊ /

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noun

a branch of a tree, especially one of the larger or main branches.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of bough

before 1000; Middle English bogh, Old English bōg, bōh shoulder, bough; cognate with Old Norse bōgr, Dutch boeg, German Bug, Greek pêchys, Sanskrit bāhu

synonym study for bough

See branch.

OTHER WORDS FROM bough

boughless, adjectiveun·der·bough, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bough

bough , bow

Words nearby bough

boudoir grand, bouffant, bouffe, Bougainville, bougainvillea, bough, boughed, boughpot, bought, boughten, bougie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bough in a sentence

There are many different ways to make snowshoes, and the crudest and quickest method is to strap a bundle of evergreen boughs underneath each foot—though it’s a cumbersome task that does little to improve traction.
How to build snowshoes on the fly—and 4 other tips for surviving deep snow|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|January 5, 2021|Popular-Science
In the event the snow won’t hold together to build solid building blocks or you are caught without tools, you can still dig out a trench and cover it with a flat roof of poles, tree boughs, and an insulating layer of snow.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science
Since a fire would melt the snow covered boughs overhead, your best bet for warmth is packing the well with insulating materials.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science
To make a bough bed, you can use leaves, grass, evergreen boughs, or other plant material for insulation.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science

Add a bough bedWhile this is not a shelter by itself, a thick bough bed makes an outstanding addition to any type of shelter large enough to accommodate it.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science
A couple of innocuous paragraphs are all that appeared in the privately printed book, The Fruitful Bough.
Inside the Kennedy Death Threats|Adam Clymer|June 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
No man should regard the subject of religion as decided for him until he has read The Golden Bough.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Outside Rome, showing the same ideas at work among neighbouring peoples, was the 'golden bough' in the grove of Diana at Aricia.
The Religion of Ancient Rome|Cyril Bailey
A few more shots put an end to its existence, and we then pulled up under the bough on which it was hanging.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Wandering from the parent bough,Little, trembling leaf,Whither goest thou?
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
The birds were singing, black squirrels were jumping from bough to bough, and they could hear the tapping of the woodpecker.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for bough

bough

/ (baʊ) /

noun

any of the main branches of a tree

Word Origin for bough

Old English bōg arm, twig; related to Old Norse bōgr shoulder, ship's bow, Old High German buog shoulder, Greek pēkhus forearm, Sanskrit bāhu; see bow ³, elbow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bough

Origin of bough

synonym study for bough

OTHER WORDS FROM bough

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bough

Words nearby bough

Words related to bough

How to use bough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bough

Word Origin for bough