hedge
English · Thesaurus
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hedge¹
- /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/ Canada, US, India
- /ˈhed͡ʒ/ Australia
- /ˈhe̝d͡ʒ/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɛdʒ
Where it comes from
From Middle English hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *haggju, from Proto-Germanic *hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay. More at haw.
noun hedges
- A thicket of bushes or other shrubbery, especially one planted as a fence between two portions of land, or to separate the parts of a garden. He trims the hedge once a week.
- A barrier (often consisting of a line of persons or objects) to protect someone or something from harm. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
- A mound of earth, stone- or turf-faced, often topped with bushes, used as a fence between any two portions of land.
- A noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement. When not inaccurate, much commentary on the contents of Hobson-Jobson is couched in hedges or relies on speculative estimates in the absence of exact information.
- Contract or arrangement reducing one's exposure to risk (for example the risk of price movements or interest rate movements). The asset class acts as a hedge.
- With indication of a person's upbringing, or professional activities, taking place by the side of the road; being third-rate, poor, shoddy. Attalus[…]made him so dead-drunke that insensibly and without feeling he might prostitute his beauty as the body of a common hedge-harlot, to Mulettiers, Groomes and many of the abject servants of his house.
hedge²
- /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/ Canada, US, India
- /ˈhed͡ʒ/ Australia
- /ˈhe̝d͡ʒ/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɛdʒ
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English heggen, from the noun (see above).
verb hedges · hedging · hedged
- To enclose with a hedge or hedges. to hedge a field or garden
- To obstruct or surround. Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
- To offset the risk associated with.
- To avoid verbal commitment. He carefully hedged his statements with weasel words.
- To construct or repair a hedge.
- To reduce one's exposure to risk.
Hedge³
proper noun Hedges
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hedgerow, fudge, skirt, duck, parry, sidestep, dodge, circumvent, evade, elude, put off, quickset, couverture, roofing, cover, flushing
Translations
Every language
noun thicket of bushes planted in a row
| Español | seto vivo, cerco vivo, sebe |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 울타리 ultari |
| 日本語 | 垣根 kakine |
| 中文 | 籬牆 /篱墙 líqiáng, 樹籬 /树篱 shùlí |
| Português | sebe, cerca viva |
| Français | haie |
| Deutsch | Hecke |
| Italiano | siepe |
| Ελληνικά | φράχτης fráchtis, φράκτης με θάμνους fráktis me thámnous |
| Română | gard viu |
| Русский | жива́я и́згородь živája ízgorodʹ |
| العربية | وَشِيع wašīʕ, سِيَاج نَبَاتِيّ siyāj nabātiyy |
| עברית | גָדֵר חַיָה gadér khayá |
noun barrier to protect someone or something from harm
| 中文 | 屏障 píngzhàng |
|---|
noun linguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
| 中文 | 含糊的話 /含糊的话 hánhúdehuà |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Heckenausdruck, Weichzeichner |
| Русский | экиво́к ekivók |
noun finance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
| Español | cobertura, protección, resguardo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 對沖 /对冲 duìchōng |
| Português | cobertura de risco |
| Français | couverture de risque |
verb finance: to offset the risk associated with
| 日本語 | ヘッジする hejji-suru |
|---|
Talk about this word "hedge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hedge. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hedge. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hedge "hedge." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hedge.Cite this
@misc{hedge_2026,
title = {hedge},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hedge},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
