bushel
1 Americannoun
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bushels
plural
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a unit of dry measure containing 4 pecks, equivalent in the U.S. (and formerly in England) to 2,150.42 cubic inches or 35.24 liters Winchester bushel, and in Great Britain to 2,219.36 cubic inches or 36.38 liters Imperial bushel. bu., bush.
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a container of this capacity.
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a unit of weight equal to the weight of a bushel of a given commodity.
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a large, unspecified amount or number.
a bushel of kisses.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a Brit unit of dry or liquid measure equal to 8 Imperial gallons. 1 Imperial bushel is equivalent to 0.036 37 cubic metres
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a US unit of dry measure equal to 64 US pints. 1 US bushel is equivalent to 0.035 24 cubic metres
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a container with a capacity equal to either of these quantities
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informal a large amount; great deal
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to conceal one's abilities or good qualities
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bushel1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bu(i)sshel, bus(s)chel, from Old French boissel, boistiel, equivalent to boisse unit of measure for grain (from assumed Gaulish bostia; compare Middle Irish bas, bos “palm of the hand, handbreadth,” Breton boz “palm of the hand”) + -el noun suffix
Origin of bushel2
1875–80, < German bosseln to patch < French bosseler to emboss; see boss 2
Vocabulary lists containing bushel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The corn and soybean farmer watched as prices fell from $7 a bushel for corn in early 2022 to just $4.29 three years later.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
At 60 pounds to the bushel, that is roughly 800 pounds of soybeans for every American.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Chicago contracts rose by their daily limit of 45 cents a bushel Wednesday, before rising further Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Wheat prices surged to record highs above $13 per bushel in early 2022.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
He turned to face Aunt Sera, handing her a beautiful bushel of lavender.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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U.S. farmers will produce a record-breaking harvest of 4.52 billion bushels of soybeans in 2026, according to projections from the U.S.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The eldest is Kenny Heath, 63, a commercial fisherman who hauled in 32 bushels of crabs the day he put his 40-foot boat to the test in Pocomoke City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The outlook for U.S. ending stocks was also adjusted for 2026, pegging corn at 1.79 billion bushels, soybeans at 310 million bushels, and wheat at 722 million bushels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Wheat production was cut to 1.54 billion bushels, down nearly 20 million bushels due to lower output of hard red winter wheat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Uncle Paul ain’t brought me none yet A peck ain’t enough to can. He say he got two bushels for me.”
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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They got enough to keep 'em busy busheling the jobs them war correspondents turns in on them.
From Worrying Won't Win by Montague Glass
He did mostly cutting and fitting, but some "busheling."
From The Negro at Work in New York City A Study in Economic Progress by George Edmund Haynes
So his third evil is the busheling and harrying of genius….
From Fate Knocks at the Door A Novel by Will Levington Comfort
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