underbrush

[ uhn-der-bruhsh ]

noun

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

underbrush

/ ˈʌndəˌbrʌʃ /

noun

1. undergrowth

Word History and Origins

Origin of underbrush¹

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; under- + brush ²

Example Sentences

Setting fires in the Sandhills of central North Carolina requires an understanding of moisture levels in the scrubby underbrush, and she gets a better sense of it in bare feet.

From Salon

The trail itself is notably thick with underbrush and can be junglelike in some spots, especially once you descend into Robe Canyon itself.

From Seattle Times

Eventually, Jack started to see birds and even some animals, magical and otherwise, in the underbrush, a sure sign that they’d left the Black Forest behind.

From Literature

The forest itself, ten miles across, was a tangled thicket of trees and thorny underbrush honeycombed with German tunnels, concrete dugouts, and machine-gun nests that the Germans had spent four years fortifying.

From Literature

Dens can be a steep bank, rock crevices, sinkholes or underbrush, according to the Forest Service.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• thicket