Brushy describes a place thick with bushes, shrubs, and low plants growing close together. If you've ever tried walking through a brushy hillside or vacant lot, you know how branches catch at your clothes and twigs scratch your arms. The bushes grow so densely that you can barely see through them, let alone walk easily.

Brushy areas often appear where land has been left alone for a while: along fence lines, near creeks, or at the edges of fields. They're different from forests, which have tall trees, or meadows, which have mostly grass. Brushy land is somewhere in between, filled with woody plants that are taller than grass but shorter than trees.

Wildlife loves brushy areas. Rabbits hide in them, birds nest in the tangles, and deer browse on the leaves. But for humans, brushy terrain can be tough to navigate. Hikers might need to find a way around a brushy section of trail, and firefighters worry about brushy areas during dry seasons because the dense vegetation can fuel wildfires.

You might also hear someone describe a person's hair as brushy when it sticks out in all directions, thick and untamed like the bushes themselves.