clover
Americannoun
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clovers,
plural
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clover
plural
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any of various plants of the genus Trifolium, of the legume family, having trifoliolate leaves and dense flower heads, many species of which, as T. pratense, are cultivated as forage plants.
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any of various plants of allied genera, as melilot.
idioms
noun
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any plant of the leguminous genus Trifolium, having trifoliate leaves and dense flower heads. Many species, such as red clover, white clover, and alsike, are grown as forage plants
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any of various similar or related plants
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another name for melilot
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another name for alfilaria
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informal in a state of ease or luxury
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of clover
before 900; Middle English clovere, Old English clāfre; akin to German Klee
Compare meaning
How does clover compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A clover is a small plant with bright green leaves and white or purple flowers. It's considered good luck to find a four-leaf clover! Most clover features clusters of three rounded leaves, and very rarely there are four. Because it's so uncommon to find a four-leaf clover, it's become a symbol of luck. And just imagine how lucky the even rarer five- and six-leaf clovers are! The clover plant produces pretty little flowers, and while it's sometimes considered a weed, it's also commonly included in grassy lawns for its bright color and heartiness.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Crops like peas and clover are planted between rows of potatoes to help bring nitrogen back into the soil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Also blooming now: goldfields, purple grape soda lupine and owl’s clover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
A small group of plants, including peas, clover, and beans, can grow without added nitrogen.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025
Legume hordes like clover pull nitrogen from the air, reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, and the milking parlour is 80-percent solar- and wind-powered.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025
“I am a princess!” said the frog in a voice soft and sweet as first spring clover.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Anyone stuck in a knotted snarl of interstate clovers knows that GPS is both important and imperfect.
From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2024
Instead she spent her childhood roaming the countryside, hunting for clovers to feed the rabbits on the farm.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2023
There's the thistle, the national flower of Scotland; clovers, a symbol of Northern Ireland; yellow daffodils, the national flower of Wales; and the Tudor Rose, the national flower of England.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2023
When combined with wildflowers and clovers, “you start to have a lawn that can take some traffic, but you’re not going to be out playing football or letting your giant dogs run over it constantly.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
Then I recognize the charms: three pieces of ruby red sea glass, two four-leaf clovers in plastic, and a handful of sand-dollar birds, all strung together with black ratty leather.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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