bush
gb/bˈʊʃ/ us/bˈʊʃ/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
A low, dense plant or shrub
A plant that is short and has many small branches and leaves close together.
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] bush
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bush' with 'tree', but a bush is shorter and has many stems from the base.
Synonyms
shrub (More formal or technical term for a small to medium-sized woody plant.)
Antonyms
tree (A woody plant that is typically taller with a single main stem.)
Collocations
rose bush
|hedge bush
|bush trimming
|thick bush
|under the bush
Themes
nature
|gardening
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The rabbit hid under the bush.
- She planted a rose bush in the garden.
- We had to cut back the overgrown bushes along the path.
- A bird's nest was hidden deep inside the bush.
Learner examples
- The cat is under the bush.
- There is a small bush in the yard.
- I see a bird in the bush.
- We have green bushes near the house.
Noun
B1
entity
2
Wild or rural undeveloped land
Land with many wild plants and few or no buildings.
Usage pattern:
in the bush
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'forest'. Bush can include open scrubland, not just dense trees.
Synonyms
wilderness (Implies an even more remote and untouched area than 'bush'.)
Antonyms
city (An urban area with many buildings and people.)
Collocations
out in the bush
|bush track
|bush country
|deep in the bush
Themes
geography
|travel
|nature
Examples
- They went camping deep in the bush.
- The village is located on the edge of the bush.
- Bush fires can spread quickly in dry seasons.
Learner examples
- We walked in the bush.
- He lives in the bush far from town.
- There are many animals in the bush.
Verb
informal
B2
action
3
Push through plants while moving
To walk through plants and push them away to move forward.
Usage pattern:
to bush through [vegetation]
Synonyms
push through (More general; not limited to plants.)
Collocations
bush through
|bush your way
Themes
nature
|travel
Examples
- We bushed our way through the undergrowth.
- He had to bush through thick shrubs to reach the cabin.
Learner examples
- We bushed through the plants.
- He bushed through to find the road.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bush
IPA
GB/bˈʊʃ/
US/bˈʊʃ/
Syllables & stress
bush (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (bush)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bush
- Plural: bush, bushes
Word family
Forms
bushes
noun
Core family
bushy
adjective
Related words
bushfire
noun
bushland
noun
Expressions
beat the bushes
1/bˈit ðə bˈʊʃɪz/
idiom
informal
Search very thoroughly
To look everywhere for something or someone.
Examples
- The police are beating the bushes for clues.
- We beat the bushes trying to find a good restaurant.
out in the bush
1/ˈaʊt ˈɪn ðə bˈʊʃ/
fixed phrase
In rural wild land
Far from towns and cities, in wild land with few people.
Examples
- They live out in the bush, hours from the nearest store.
- I spent a week out in the bush with no phone signal.
beat around the bush
1/bˈit ɚˈaʊnd ðə bˈʊʃ/
idiom
informal
Avoid direct topic discussion
To talk about other things instead of saying what is important or true.
Examples
- Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
- She never answers directly; she always beats around the bush.