sagebrush

American  

[seyj-bruhsh] / ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ /

noun

1. 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.

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sagebrush British  

/ ˈseɪdʒˌbrʌʃ /

noun

1. 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)

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Etymology

Origin of sagebrush

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

Example Sentences

“I love seeing the deep, rich green of the toyon next to the pale green of the sage, dudleyas, sagebrush and the olive tree,” Smee says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Initially they thought they would focus on native succulents and cactus for their yard until they began noticing white sage, buckwheats and sagebrush when they went running in the Laguna Hills and Santa Ana Mountains.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

But a lack of lawns doesn’t equate to a lack of life: Picture aromatic sagebrush, bright yellow sunflowers, flowering yuccas, humble scrubs and native grasses billowing in the breeze.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

The park offers ancient bristlecone pine forests, incredible night skies, scenic foothills covered in sagebrush, the stunning 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak and the mysterious Lehman Caves.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

They drove south in the powerful car, while outside on the right the sagebrush plain stretched west, and the mountains rose on their left, dark and shining.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols