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copse

copse

3 7.5
A small group of trees growing close together
  • noun
  • /kɑps/
translation icon : matorral
  • A fox darted across the path and disappeared into the nearby copse of bushes.
  • a copse of trees

Examples

  • At the edge of the lake was a rocky outcropping covered by a scraggly copse of dark green trees.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • We stopped to rest beside a peaceful copse of oak trees during our hike.

  • There was a copse of trees near the ninth green.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • At the top of what seemed like a rapidly expanding earth was a copse of pine trees.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Lestat walks the youth toward a copse of trees.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The biggest copse, in the postage stamp corner, was about the size of a house lot.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "Harper, we found their runners, tied up in a copse just off the old sea road," the older lad reported.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Next to the tile-roofed house stands a copse of trees in which a pack of wolves is sleeping.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Nearer, over a copse of shiny green oaks, a flock of chattering starlings lifted and milled.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The children played hide and seek in the small copse at the edge of the field.

Synonyms

grove
vscopse
104 2.8

A small group of trees that grow close together, often planted for fruit

is comparable but often contains natural undergrowth and is less planned
brush
vscopse
  • US
61 2.2

A thick group of small trees and bushes

is a small group that may be neater and less wild
stand
vscopse
  • Specialized
48 5.5

A group of trees of the same kind growing close together

is similar but highlights small size and close clustering rather than species uniformity
thicket
vscopse
22 5.1

A thick area of bushes and small trees that grow close together

is a smaller, compact patch of such trees or bushes than that description
shrubbery
vscopse
11 3.4

An area in a garden or park where small bushes grow together

is a wild small cluster rather than a deliberately planted decorative area
dense thicket
vscopse
1 5.7

An area of thick bushes that is hard to walk through

is similar but does not always stress difficulty of passing through
motte
vscopse
  • UK
1 9.9

A small group of trees standing alone in open land

is alike but not necessarily isolated in open surroundings
coppice
vscopse
1 9.1

Small area of trees or bushes that are cut to the ground regularly to make new growth

is the natural small cluster without implying periodic human cutting
bosket
vscopse
  • Archaic
9.9

A small group of trees growing close together

is much the same small clustered growth but used in more ordinary speech

Antonyms

894 1.3

A large dry area with very little rain and few plants

How Big

forest
970 1.0
wood
835 1.0
grove
104 2.8
copse
3 7.5
clump
39 3.0

Surface Forms

copse singular
copses plural

Etymology

Copse comes from the older word coppice, which comes from a word meaning 'to cut' because people used to cut trees back so many new shoots would grow and make a low, dense group. That's why copse means a small group of trees or bushes growing close together.