houseplant

American  

[hous-plant, -plahnt] / ˈhaʊsˌplænt, -ˌplɑnt /

noun

1. an ornamental plant that is grown indoors or adapts well to indoor culture.

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Etymology

Origin of houseplant

First recorded in 1870–75; house + plant

Explanation

A houseplant is a green, living thing you keep indoors. Your Boston fern, giant ficus, and Christmas cactus are all houseplants. If there are plants inside your house, they're houseplants, though you could also call them "potted plants" or "indoor plants." Most houseplants are tropical or semitropical, and if you live somewhere that gets colder during the winter, they need to be inside where it's warm. During the summer, some houseplants thrive on the patio or in the yard, but you'll need to bring them back into your house when the nights get cool.

Example Sentences

Well, there’s a different issue for houseplant parents who must wander their indoor jungles with watering cans, misters, fertilizers and pruners and then find a place to store them.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2024

Her father Richard had been grappling with how to help his daughter and offered to build her a little houseplant shop at the nursery, as a project to focus on slowly over time.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

Where, then, should one dispose of the holiday houseplant?

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2023

A roll of toilet paper, a houseplant, or a kosher dill spear will do.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2023

Instead, I name my spiky friend and display him on my dresser, like a houseplant or oversized pet rock.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller