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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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

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

How to use bough in a sentence

Deck your halls instead with boughs of holly, shouting “Merry Christmas” (or “Happy Hanukkah”) well into the night.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Franklin saw that it was now sucking up large dead boughs along with the leaves.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser|Lee Sandlin|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This their place of dwelling was only a fire, with a few boughs before it, set up on the side the winds was of.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Mr. Wakefield has built little houses for us, and put them on the boughs of the trees.
The Nursery, January 1873, Vol. XIII.|Various

Directly the tents were erected and the girls beds made with a blanket spread over pine boughs, Valerie lay down utterly worn out.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
As Gale and Phyllis lay down on their bed of boughs in the tent with Valerie, a coyote howled dismally in the distance.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
Therefore they now carried boughs and green branches and palms, for him that had given them good success in cleansing his place.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

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 related to bough

How to use bough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bough

Word Origin for bough