bush
BUSH meaning: a low, woody plant with multiple stems; the four-letter word scores 9 points in Scrabble.
Noun 4 meanings
A woody plant distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, being usually less than six metres tall; a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category.
A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a tree.
“bushes to support pea vines”
The tail, or brush, of a fox.
Tracts of land covered in natural vegetation that are largely undeveloped and uncultivated, typically distinguished from absolute wilderness by implying a degree of marginal human engagement or proximity to settlement edges.
Verb 4 meanings
To branch thickly in the manner of a bush.
To set bushes for; to support with bushes.
To use a bush harrow on (land), for covering seeds sown; to harrow with a bush.
“to bush a piece of land; to bush seeds into the ground”
To become bushy (often used with up).
“I can tell when my cat is upset because he’ll bush up his tail.”
Adverb 1 meaning
Towards the direction of the outback.
“On hatching, the chicks scramble to the surface and head bush on their own.”
Adjective 1 meaning
Not skilled; not professional; not major league.
“They’re supposed to be a major league team, but so far they've been bush.”
Etymology
From Middle English bush, from Old English *busċ, *bysċ (“copse, grove, scrub”, in placenames), from Proto-West Germanic *busk, from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush, thicket”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to grow”). Doublet of bosque.
Similar and opposite words
BUSH has several related senses: a shrub, a cut branch, a fox’s tail, or undeveloped land covered in natural vegetation. Its plant sense is horticultural rather than strictly botanical. For word games, the compact spelling has one anagram, HUBS, and rhymes with familiar words including PUSH, RUSH, and HUSH.
BUSH at a glance
- BUSH is a four-letter word with a Scrabble value of 9 points.
- HUBS is its one anagram, using the same four letters.
- PUSH, RUSH, and HUSH share its “ush” rhyme.
- The shrub sense describes a woody plant with multiple stems and a lower height than a tree.
What is the BUSH Scrabble score?
BUSH scores 9 points before any board bonuses: B is worth 3, U is worth 1, S is worth 1, and H is worth 4. The H supplies the largest share, so placing that tile on a premium square matters more than boosting either vowel or S.
The word’s familiar spelling makes it easy to spot, but a short word is not automatically a strong play. Look for a square that multiplies H or the whole word, and check whether BUSH also opens a bonus lane for your opponent. Its score comes from the letter values, not from its meaning.
What does BUSH mean, and what is close to it?
In its most familiar sense, a bush is a woody plant that branches from multiple stems and usually stays shorter than a tree. The word also names a cut shrub or branch, a fox’s tail, and natural vegetation on largely undeveloped land. Those land and plant uses are related, but they describe different things.
HUBS is the only anagram, while PUSH, RUSH, LUSH, HUSH, and MUSH are among the rhymes. One-letter neighbours include PUSH, BUSY, RUSH, and BUST; each changes a single letter from BUSH. For the BUSH meaning in a clue, use the surrounding sentence to tell whether the answer concerns a plant, an animal’s tail, or uncultivated land.
Rhymes with bush
All rhymesOne letter away
Questions people ask
Is BUSH a valid Scrabble word?
What is the anagram of BUSH?
What rhymes with BUSH?
Keep going
Related lists
Looking for a different word?
Type the letters you have and the Finder shows every word that fits.