sagebrush

American

[seyj-bruhsh] / ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ /

noun

any of several sagelike, bushy composite plants of the genus Artemisia, especially A. tridentata, having silvery, wedge-shaped leaves, with three teeth at the tip, common on the dry plains of the western U.S.

sagebrush British

/ ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ /

noun

any of several aromatic plants of the genus Artemisia, esp A. tridentata, a shrub of W North America, having silver-green leaves and large clusters of small white flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

"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

Etymology

Origin of sagebrush

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; sage ² + brush ²

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.

The West had a “foreboding beauty”; wheat fields and orchards gave way to “unforgiving” sagebrush and treeless hills.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Toyon brings red berries in winter and white flowers in spring, while California sagebrush and Cleveland sage fill the air with an intoxicating perfume.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

LEE VINING, Calif. — At a trailhead surrounded by sagebrush, a naturalist welcomes a group of visitors to Mono Lake beside a sign that reads “Oasis in the Desert.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025

Our ranch house’s high windows opened onto the sagebrush hills and a bit of an ocean view.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2025

He made a slow circle, broke off a piece of sagebrush, and dropped it on the ground.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023