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brushland

brushland

1 4.6
Land that has mostly bushes and very few trees
  • noun
  • /ˈbrʌʃˌlænd/
translation icon : matorral
  • "One of the strengths of this system is its ability to survey insects over brushland, dryland, and irrigated cropland," says James R. Coppedge, who leads the Areawide Pest Management Research Unit.
  • forest and brushland

Examples

  • Miles of brushland and scattered oaks flanked the canyon route all the way into Laguna Beach.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Inland woodlands dominated by mopane (Colophospermum mopane) grade westward into brushlands, dunes, and desert flats.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The hike through the vast brushland revealed a variety of wildlife and plants unique to the region.

  • After the fire, the brushland quickly started to regenerate, attracting insects and small animals.

  • The farmer decided to clear some of the brushland to create more grazing space for his cattle.

Synonyms

brush
vsbrushland
  • US
61 2.2

A thick group of small trees and bushes

is about an area mainly covered by those plants rather than the growth itself
scrubland
vsbrushland
1 6.6

An area of land covered with short bushes and grasses that is hard to farm

is similar but does not stress poor soil or farming unsuitability
bushland
vsbrushland
  • Australian
1 4.1

A wild area with bushes and small trees, often in Australia

is narrower, focusing on land dominated by shrubs with few or no trees
dry brush
vsbrushland
  • US
1 4.7

Low bushes or plants that grow close to the ground in dry areas

is broader and not restricted to dry or arid conditions
shrubland
vsbrushland
  • Specialized
4.6

An area covered mostly with low bushes and small woody plants

is the general term for land mainly with bushes and few or no trees

Antonyms

2 2.8

An open area in a forest with few trees

Surface Forms

brushland singular
brushlands plural

Morphology

brushland = brush + land (transparent) = brush + land

The meaning is directly built from 'brush' (shrubs) + 'land' (ground), so learners can infer it as land covered in shrubs.

Etymology

The word brushland is simply brush + land, where brush means 'low bushes' or 'shrubs', so brushland is literally 'land of bushes' and refers to ground covered mainly with shrubs and few trees.