Meanings
hedge1
plural 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.
1 more example
But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶[…]The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.
1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC - 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.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 1:9–10 - CornwallDevonUKWest CountryA mound of earth, stone- or turf-faced, often topped with bushes, used as a fence between any two portions of land.
- especially applied linguistics and pragmaticshuman sciencesA 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.
2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 487 - businessContract 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.
1 more example
A hedge is an investment position intended to offset potential losses/gains that may be incurred by a companion investment. In simple language, a hedge is used to reduce any substantial losses/gains suffered by an individual or an organization.
- IrelandUKattributivefigurativelyWith indication of a person's upbringing, or professional activities, taking place by the side of the road; being third-rate, poor, shoddy.
He then traced them from place to place, till at last he found two of them drinking together, with a third person, at a hedge-tavern near Aldersgate.
2 more examples
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.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 2, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLCThis particular wheelwright is only a hedge carpenter, without even a shop of his own,[…].
1899, Henry Rider Haggard, A Farmer's Year: Being His Commonplace Book for 1898, page 222
hedge2
present singular third person hedges · participle present hedging · participle past hedged · past hedged
- transitiveTo obstruct or surround.
Lollius Urbius […] drew another wall […] to hedge out incursions from the north.
1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC1 more example
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hosea 2:6 - transitivebusinessTo offset the risk associated with.
- intransitiveTo construct or repair a hedge.
- intransitivebusinessTo reduce one's exposure to risk.
Hedge3
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounany technique designed to reduce or eliminate financial risk; for example, taking two positions that will offset each other if prices change
verbavoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
verbenclose or bound in with or as it with a hedge or hedges
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
hedge · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*kagʰyóm“enclosure”
- Proto-Germanic*hagjō
- Proto-West Germanic*haggju
- Old Englishheċġ
- Middle Englishhegge
- Englishhedge
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →hedge · verb
- Middle Englishheggen
- Englishhedge
Inherited from Middle English heggen, from the noun (see above).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φραγμός, φράσσω
- φραγμός (phragmós)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- φράσσω (phrássō)to enclose with hedge
Arabic وَشِيع, سِيَاج نَبَاتِيّ
- وَشِيع (wašīʕ)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- سِيَاج نَبَاتِيّ (siyāj nabātiyy)thicket of bushes planted in a row
Bulgarian жив плет, насип
- жив плет (živ plet)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- насип (nasip)mound of earth, used as a fence between any two portions of land
- хеджиране (hedžirane)finance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- ограждам (ograždam)to enclose with hedge
- преграждам (pregraždam)to obstruct with hedge
- хеджирам (hedžiram)finance: to offset the risk associated with
- извъртам (izvărtam)to avoid verbal commitment
- усуквам (usukvam)to avoid verbal commitment
- хеджирам (hedžiram)to reduce one's exposure to risk
Catalan tanca viva
- tanca vivathicket of bushes planted in a row
Chinese Mandarin 籬牆 /篱墙, 樹籬 /树篱
- 籬牆 /篱墙 (líqiáng)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- 樹籬 /树篱 (shùlí)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- 屏障 (píngzhàng)barrier to protect someone or something from harm
- 含糊的話 /含糊的话 (hánhúdehuà)linguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
- 對沖 /对冲 (duìchōng)finance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
Czech živý plot, zajištění
- živý plotthicket of bushes planted in a row
- zajištěníbarrier to protect someone or something from harm
- ochranabarrier to protect someone or something from harm
- vyhýbavé prohlášenílinguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
- pokrytí rizikfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- rozložení rizikafinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- zajistit rizikafinance: to offset the risk associated with
- snížit rizikoto reduce one's exposure to risk
Danish hæk
- hækthicket of bushes planted in a row
Dutch haag
- haagthicket of bushes planted in a row
Esperanto heĝo
- heĝothicket of bushes planted in a row
Estonian hekk
- hekkthicket of bushes planted in a row
Finnish pensasaita, suojamuuri
- pensasaitathicket of bushes planted in a row
- suojamuuribarrier to protect someone or something from harm
- vallimound of earth, used as a fence between any two portions of land
- varauslinguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
- pehmennyslinguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
- suojausfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- aidatato enclose with hedge
- aidatato obstruct with hedge
- suojatafinance: to offset the risk associated with
- pyöritelläto avoid verbal commitment
- tasapainoillato avoid verbal commitment
- aidatato construct or repair a hedge
- korjata aitato construct or repair a hedge
- suojatato reduce one's exposure to risk
French haie, couverture de risque
- haiethicket of bushes planted in a row
- couverture de risquefinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
German Hecke, Heckenausdruck
- Heckethicket of bushes planted in a row
- Heckenausdrucklinguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
- Weichzeichnerlinguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
Greek φράχτης, φράκτης με θάμνους
- φράχτης (fráchtis)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- φράκτης με θάμνους (fráktis me thámnous)thicket of bushes planted in a row
Hebrew גָדֵר חַיָה
- גָדֵר חַיָה (gadér khayá)thicket of bushes planted in a row
Hungarian sövény, sövénykerítés
- sövénythicket of bushes planted in a row
- sövénykerítésthicket of bushes planted in a row
- védőfalbarrier to protect someone or something from harm
- sáncmound of earth, used as a fence between any two portions of land
- lefedezésfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- bebiztosításfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- ellentranzakciófinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- fogadásbiztosításfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- bekerítto enclose with hedge
- körülveszto enclose with hedge
- övezto enclose with hedge
- elkerítto obstruct with hedge
- bebiztosítfinance: to offset the risk associated with
- lefedezfinance: to offset the risk associated with
- kertelto avoid verbal commitment
- mellébeszélto avoid verbal commitment
- nem vall színtto avoid verbal commitment
- nem ad egyenes választto avoid verbal commitment
- kibújik/kitér a válaszadás alólto avoid verbal commitment
- köntörfalazto avoid verbal commitment
Icelandic limgerði, hekk
- limgerðithicket of bushes planted in a row
- hekkthicket of bushes planted in a row
Indonesian pagar hidup
- pagar hidupthicket of bushes planted in a row
Irish fál, ime
- fálthicket of bushes planted in a row
- imethicket of bushes planted in a row
- airbhethicket of bushes planted in a row
- fálaighto enclose with hedge
- fálaighto obstruct with hedge
- fálaighfinance: to offset the risk associated with
Italian siepe
- siepethicket of bushes planted in a row
Japanese 垣根, ヘッジする
- 垣根 (kakine)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- ヘッジする (hejji-suru)finance: to offset the risk associated with
Korean 울타리
- 울타리 (ultari)thicket of bushes planted in a row
Latin saepēs
- saepēsthicket of bushes planted in a row
Latvian dzīvžogs
- dzīvžogsthicket of bushes planted in a row
Lithuanian gyvatvorė
- gyvatvorėthicket of bushes planted in a row
Māori hēti, whakakarapoti
- hētithicket of bushes planted in a row
- whakakarapotito obstruct with hedge
- whakarauhifinance: to offset the risk associated with
Norwegian Bokmål hekk
- hekkthicket of bushes planted in a row
Persian پرچین
- پرچین (parčin)thicket of bushes planted in a row
Polish żywopłot
- żywopłotthicket of bushes planted in a row
Portuguese sebe, cerca viva
- sebethicket of bushes planted in a row
- cerca vivathicket of bushes planted in a row
- cobertura de riscofinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
Romanian gard viu
- gard viuthicket of bushes planted in a row
Russian жива́я и́згородь, экиво́к
- жива́я и́згородь (živája ízgorodʹ)thicket of bushes planted in a row
- экиво́к (ekivók)linguistics: a noncommittal or intentionally ambiguous statement
Scottish Gaelic callaid, fàl
- callaidthicket of bushes planted in a row
- fàlthicket of bushes planted in a row
Slovak živý plot, oplotiť
- živý plotthicket of bushes planted in a row
- oplotiťto enclose with hedge
- zamedziťto obstruct with hedge
- prehradiťto obstruct with hedge
Spanish seto vivo, cerco vivo
- seto vivothicket of bushes planted in a row
- cerco vivothicket of bushes planted in a row
- sebethicket of bushes planted in a row
- coberturafinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- protecciónfinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
- resguardofinance: contract or arrangement reducing exposure to risk
Swedish häck
- häckthicket of bushes planted in a row
Turkish çalı çit, çit
- çalı çitthicket of bushes planted in a row
- çitthicket of bushes planted in a row
- çeperthicket of bushes planted in a row
Welsh clawdd
- clawddthicket of bushes planted in a row
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hedge
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
hedge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedge
“hedge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedge. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hedge,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hedge.
Source: hedge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.