chaparral
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of chaparral
1835–45, < Spanish, equivalent to chaparr ( o ) evergreen oak (< Basque tshapar ) + -al collective suffix
Explanation
Chaparral is a type of dense, thorny thicket with shrubby plants and small trees. Places with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters — like parts of California — are most likely to have chaparral. Chaparral is a rugged landscape where hardy plants like scrub oaks and manzanita thrive. This unique ecosystem is found in regions like central and southern California, northern Mexico, and coastal areas around the Mediterranean Sea. Chaparral supports diverse wildlife and has adapted to withstand fires and droughts. With its thick, thorny bushes and resilient inhabitants — like mountain lions, jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, and coyotes — chaparral showcases nature's ability to flourish in challenging environments.
Vocabulary lists containing chaparral
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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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.
Jan. 31 as we hike through Placerita Canyon Natural Area, an east-west canyon east of Santa Clarita with lush oak woodland, chaparral and a seasonal creek.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2026
Yes, some of the green was invasive species, but some was made up of native grasses and shrubby chaparral plants.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
Most chaparral plants are adapted to this fire cycle.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2025
But Alexandra Syphard, a fire ecologist at the Conservation Biology Institute, noted that 50 years is still relatively early in the chaparral fire cycle.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2025
Like cottontail rabbits and chaparral birds and a baby possum that sulked and lay like dead for the first several hours until he finally decided that Arliss wasn’t going to hurt him.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
