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Synonyms

underbrush

American  
[uhn-der-bruhsh] / ˈʌn dərˌbrʌʃ /
Also underbush

noun

  1. shrubs, saplings, low vines, etc., growing under the large trees in a wood or forest.

underbrush British  
/ ˈʌndəˌbrʌʃ /

noun

  1. undergrowth

"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 underbrush

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; under- + 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.

Hanson, who spends much of his life crawling through underbrush to count trees, plunged ahead into stands of chest-high ceanothus, pointing out sequoias camouflaged in the pervasive post-fire brush.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Unimpressed, a group of tweens on the walk delved deeper into the rain-soaked underbrush, pointing out specimens faster than Purry could identify them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

The golf ball and his body hit the ground hard at the same time after he shanks one into the underbrush.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2025

If the former, you need antivenom, but good luck telling from the mere glimpse of a tail you got as the serpent slithered into the underbrush.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 8, 2024

I blundered through the darkness, crashing through the underbrush.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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.