A bush is a woody plant that's smaller than a tree, with multiple stems growing from the ground instead of a single trunk. Bushes (also called shrubs) grow in yards, parks, and wild areas everywhere. You might see rose bushes in a garden, holly bushes with red berries in winter, or blueberry bushes on a farm. Some bushes stay green all year, while others lose their leaves in fall.

The word can also mean wild, uncultivated land covered with vegetation. In Australia, people call wilderness areas the bush, like when someone says they're “going camping in the bush.” The term has also been used for dense, wild countryside in parts of Africa.

When something is described as bushy, it means thick and spreading outward, like a bushy squirrel tail or bushy eyebrows. If you beat around the bush, you're avoiding saying something directly, like answering “Well, I studied pretty hard, but the questions were tough, and...” when someone asks if you failed a test.