1
: any of various units of dry capacity see Weights and Measures Table
2
: a container holding a bushel
3
: a large quantity
bushels of money

bushel

2 of 2

verb

Examples of bushel in a Sentence

Noun picked up a bushel of decorations at the after-Christmas sale
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Initially, when the trade war intensified and China turned away from U.S. soybeans, bean prices declined in the U.S. all the way down towards their cost of production of very roughly $9 per bushel. Sal Gilbertie, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 In November, 1875, the standard wage in Rock Springs was four cents per bushel of coal mined, which meant workers made anywhere from two to four dollars a day. Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025 Wheat, milo, corn and beans all have a red arrow next to them showing price drops per bushel. Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025 Barnes’ group can move a million bushels of crops in and out of the massive grain elevators each week, but right now there is very little movement. Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bushel

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English busshel, from Anglo-French bussel, buschelle, from Old French boisse measure of grain, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish boss breadth of the hand

Verb

probably from German bosseln to do poor work, to patch; akin to Old English bēatan to beat

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bushel was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bushel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bushel. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bushel

noun
bush·​el
ˈbu̇sh-əl
1
: any of various units of dry capacity see measure
2
: a container holding a bushel
3
: a large quantity

More from Merriam-Webster on bushel

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