Word
thicket
Phoneticsthick·et, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈθɪkɪt/
UK/θˈɪkɪt/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a group of bushes or small trees that grow very close together. It is often hard to walk through because the plants are so crowded.
n. a dense growth of shrubs, bushes, or small trees. Often used metaphorically to describe a complex or confusing mass of information or regulations.
Examples
“The rabbit disappeared into a thicket of bushes.”
“We had to push our way through a dense thicket of thorns to reach the riverbank.”
“The legal team spent weeks navigating a thicket of contradictory regulations and outdated statutes before they could file the motion.”
Examples
simple
“The rabbit disappeared into a thicket of bushes.”
contextual
“We had to push our way through a dense thicket of thorns to reach the riverbank.”
complex
“The legal team spent weeks navigating a thicket of contradictory regulations and outdated statutes before they could file the motion.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “thicket” in context.
Verb
01. clear thicket
“The workers had to clear the thicket to make room for the new path.”
verb + noun
02. penetrate thicket
“Light could barely penetrate the thicket, leaving the forest floor in darkness.”
verb + noun
03. thicket grows
“A thicket grows rapidly along the riverbank during the summer months.”
noun + verb
Adjective
04. dense thicket
“The hikers struggled to push their way through the dense thicket of brambles.”
adj + noun
05. impenetrable thicket
“An impenetrable thicket of thorns protected the castle walls.”
adj + noun
06. tangled thicket
“The garden had become a tangled thicket of weeds and overgrown shrubs.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. thicket of brambles
“He scratched his arms while crawling through a thicket of brambles.”
noun + prep + noun
08. thicket of regulations
“Small business owners often struggle to navigate the thicket of regulations.”
noun + prep + noun
09. lost in a thicket of
“The main point of the report was lost in a thicket of technical jargon.”
10. push through a thicket
“We had to push through a thicket of young trees to reach the clearing.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'of' to describe a collection of dense objects.
Real-World Examples
“The hedge was constructed entirely from an impenetrable thicket of thorny native shrubs, designed to prevent smugglers from sneaking in salt from coastal areas to British-controlled states, where it was taxed heavily.” “A U.S. appeals court on Monday affirmed, opens new tab that AbbVie Inc did not unlawfully block competition by building up a "thicket" of patents related to its blockbuster arthritis drug Humira.” “A bipartisan coalition of six U.S. senators expressed their concerns in a letter on Wednesday, urging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to take action against "patent thickets" that pharmaceutical firms allegedly use to hinder competition and drive up drug costs.” “In South Africa, there used to be a thicket the size of Cyprus that could sink large quantities of carbon and create a cooler microclimate.” Etymology
From Old English þiccet, formed from þicce (“thick”) and the nominal suffix -et. The term passed into Middle English as thikket before reaching its current form.
The construction is shared by the German Dickicht, though that term is not recorded until the 17th century. Similar typological formations appear in the Macedonian gustež and the Latin dūmus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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