chaparral

noun

chap·​ar·​ral ˌsha-pə-ˈral 

-ˈrel

1

: a thicket of dwarf evergreen oaks

broadly : a dense impenetrable thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees

2

: an ecological community composed of shrubby plants adapted to dry summers and moist winters that occurs especially in southern California

Synonyms

• boscage
• boskage
• bosk
• bosque
• bosquet
• brake
• brushwood
• coppice
• copse
• covert
• thicket

Examples of chaparral in a Sentence

the rabbit darted into the chaparral

Recent Examples on the Web

During these quieter times, the native chaparral and vegetation would slowly recover over the course of years. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024

Here's what to do if that happens, or in any scary wildlife encounter Black bears are the only species of bear found in Arizona, and they can be found in forests, chaparral and desert riparian areas. —John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024

West Coast/California California’s coastal sage scrub and mixed chaparral were a huge source of inspiration for us and can be found in different combinations from southern to northern California. —Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024

One afternoon shortly after the vote, members of the splinter group gathered outside of San Francisco, hiking through the chaparrals of the San Bruno hills, and plotted what to do next. —Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from chaparro dwarf evergreen oak, from Basque txapar

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chaparral

• chaparral cock

Kids Definition

chaparral

noun

chap·​ar·​ral ˌshap-ə-ˈral 

-ˈrel

1

: a thicket of dwarf evergreen oaks

also : a dense thicket

2

: an ecological community that is found especially in parts of southern California and is composed of shrubby plants that grow well in dry sunny summers and moist winters