thicket
gb/θˈɪkɪt/ us/θˈɪkɪt/
B2
English
~ 7600
bozót, útvesztő, szövevény
NOUN
B2
1
bozót
B2
Usage pattern:
a thicket of [bushes/trees/shrubs]
They lost the trail and had to fight their way through a thorny thicket.
Elvesztették az ösvényt, és át kellett verekedniük magukat a tüskés bozóton.
A rabbit darted into the thicket of bushes and disappeared from sight.
Egy nyúl beugrott a bokrok sűrűjébe, és eltűnt szem elől.
The cabin was hidden behind a dense thicket of small pine trees.
Birds were nesting in the thicket at the edge of the field.
We found a narrow path that led through the thicket to the river.
Learner examples
The dog ran into the thicket and would not come out.
A kutya berohant a bozótba, és nem akart kijönni.
We walked around the thicket because it was too thick to cross.
Megkerültük a bozótot, mert túl sűrű volt ahhoz, hogy átvágjunk rajta.
A fox was hiding in the thicket near the road.
There is a small thicket behind my house.
He cut a way through the thicket with a knife.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'forest' or 'jungle' when they actually mean a smaller, very dense patch of bushes or small trees. A 'thicket' is usually smaller than a forest and focuses on how tightly the plants grow together. It is also countable: you say 'a thicket', 'two thickets', not 'much thicket'.
Meaning
Dense growth of bushes or trees
Collocations
dense thicket
|thorny thicket
|thicket of bushes
|thicket of trees
|hidden in the thicket
|push through the thicket
Synonyms
copse (Often refers to a small group of trees; slightly more formal and less about difficulty of movement than 'thicket'.)
Antonyms
clearing (A clear, open space in a forest with no dense bushes or trees, the opposite of a thick, crowded growth.)
Themes
nature
|landscape
|outdoors
|travel
Definition
A place where many bushes or small trees grow very close together in a tight group.
A thick, dense group of bushes, shrubs, or small trees growing close together, often forming a difficult area to walk through or see into.
NOUN
C1
2
Usage pattern:
a thicket of [rules/regulations/problems]
Small businesses struggle to comply with the thicket of tax regulations.
A kisvállalkozások nehezen boldogulnak az adózási szabályok útvesztőjével.
The report tries to cut through the thicket of conflicting data.
A jelentés megpróbál rendet teremteni az egymásnak ellentmondó adatok útvesztőjében.
Parents often find themselves lost in a thicket of school forms and requirements.
New employees must navigate a thicket of company policies before they can start work.
The lawyer helped us find a way through the thicket of legal issues surrounding the case.
Learner examples
We had to read through a thicket of rules to join the program.
Át kellett rágnunk magunkat a szabályok útvesztőjén, hogy csatlakozhassunk a programhoz.
Citizens are confused by the thicket of new laws.
Az állampolgárokat összezavarja az új törvények útvesztője.
The guide helped us understand the thicket of visa rules.
He is trying to make the thicket of tax rules more simple.
The book explains the thicket of health care regulations.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this sense is always literal. When used with words like 'rules', 'regulations', 'paperwork', or 'laws', 'thicket' is figurative and means the situation is complex and confusing, not that there are physical trees or bushes.
Meaning
Complex, tangled set of things
Collocations
a thicket of regulations
|a thicket of rules
|a thicket of paperwork
|a thicket of legal issues
|navigate the thicket
|cut through the thicket
Synonyms
maze (Often used figuratively for something confusing and hard to find a way through; slightly more common and less visual than 'thicket'.)
Antonyms
clarity (Refers to something easy to understand, without the confusion and complexity suggested by a 'thicket' of rules or issues.)
Themes
law
|business
|society
|core_vocabulary
|education
Definition
A large, confusing group of many rules, problems, or ideas that is hard to understand or move through.
A complex and confusing set of many related things, such as rules, problems, or ideas, that is difficult to understand or work through.
Grammar
Dictionary form
thicket
IPA
GB/θˈɪkɪt/
US/θˈɪkɪt/
Syllables & stress
thick - et (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (thick)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: thicket
- Plural: thickets
Word family
Expressions
a thicket of
1/ə θˈɪkɪt əv/
fixed phrase
A complex, confusing collection of things
Used before a plural noun to mean there are many of that thing and they are so complex or crowded that they are hard to understand or deal with.
Examples
- The new law has created a thicket of regulations for small companies.
- We had to make our way through a thicket of forms and permits before opening the shop.
- He is trying to simplify a thicket of overlapping security rules.