Meaning & use
broomstick
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Meanings
nouncountable
The long handle of a broom.
Grammar: Countable: a broomstick, two broomsticks.
Patterns
- a broomstick
- on a broomstick
The broomstick was made of smooth wood.
She leaned the broomstick against the wall.
The handle, or broomstick, had split near the top.
nouncountableliteraryhumorous
In stories, a broom that a witch rides through the air.
Grammar: Countable; often used in fairy tales and Halloween contexts.
Patterns
- ride a broomstick
- fly on a broomstick
The witch flew across the moon on her broomstick.
Children dressed as witches carried toy broomsticks.
In the story, the broomstick could fly only at night.
Word forms
| plural | broomsticks |
|---|
Common combinations
- ride a broomstick
- In the play, she rides a broomstick across the stage.
- fly on a broomstick
- The witch flew on a broomstick to the party.
- wooden broomstick
- He carved a wooden broomstick for the costume.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- broom noun
- A brush with a long handle, used for sweeping.
Commonly confused: broomstick or broom?
broomstick vs broom
A broom is the whole tool with bristles; a broomstick is just the handle or the magical flying broom.
Practice
In the fairy tale, the witch flew across the sky on her ______.
Choose one answer.
The magical flying object in stories is a 'broomstick'. 'Broom' can also work informally, but 'broomstick' is the standard storybook term; 'brush' and 'stick' alone do not carry the witch image.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “broomstick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.