any tiny, leafy-stemmed, flowerless plant of the class Musci, reproducing by spores and growing in tufts, sods, or mats on moist ground, tree trunks, rocks, etc.
a growth of such plants.
any of various similar plants, as Iceland moss or club moss.
Chiefly Scot. and North England. a swamp or bog.
Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.
Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver
any bryophyte of the phylum Bryophyta , typically growing in dense mats on trees, rocks, moist ground, etc See also peat moss
a clump or growth of any of these plants
any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as club moss, Spanish moss, Ceylon moss, rose moss, and reindeer moss
a peat bog or marsh
Any of various green, usually small nonvascular plants of the division Bryophyta. Mosses, unlike liverworts, have some tissues specialized for conducting water and nutrients. As in the other bryophytes, the diploid sporophyte grows on the haploid gametophyte generation, which supplies it with nutrients. Mosses often live in moist, shady areas and grow in clusters or mats. Sphagnum mosses play a crucial role in the ecology of peat bogs.
See more at bryophyte
Any of a number of plants that look like mosses but are not related to them. For instance, reindeer moss is a lichen, Irish moss is an alga, and Spanish moss is a bromeliad, a flowering plant.
before 1000; Middle English mos ( se ), Old English mos moss, bog; akin to German Moos, Old Norse mȳrr mire
Moss is a small green plant that grows, carpet-like, across moist, shady areas. If you see a green furry rock as you hike in a forest, chances are that's moss. Moss forms mats and clumps in wooded spots, and it's unusual in the plant world for several reasons, including the fact that it has no seeds and no real roots. It reproduces through spores and absorbs water through its tiny leaves. Long ago, people used moss to insulate dwellings, but today it's primarily used in gardens. The Old English root is meos, closely related to mos, "bog," which is a damp area where moss might grow.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With dated production and too many songs that make a good first impression but fail to stick, “Steel Wheels” has gathered moss over the years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Carlini demonstrated how powerful Mythos can be one afternoon recently at Anthropic’s 10-story San Francisco headquarters, where moss walls, plants and artwork are designed to evoke the Pacific Coast Trail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
"This moss has just exploded. In the 1930s, native mosses would have been growing here instead," Greiff explains.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
It infects the heath-star moss that is damaging UK environments by taking over and turfing out other species.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
While the table was covered in roses and moss, and its wood had been pocked with woodworm, the boat looked as fresh as if it had been newly varnished.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
That could matter in California, where battery opposition has surged after a fire at a Moss Landing energy storage facility drove the evacuation of 1,200 residents and contaminated nearby wetlands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
This is Moss Rose, home of National League side Macclesfield Town and a teenage Spanish goalkeeper is embarking on a journey that will lead him to the biggest stage in European football.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
She worked on Vogue covers and red-carpet looks for stars such as Kate Moss and Salma Hayek.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
From actress Zoe Kravitz, who worked on the committee with him, to supermodel Kate Moss to "heated Rivalry" star Connor Storrie, the label was everywhere.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
He figured that Javier had beaten him to their meeting place, so Moss left the phone alone, his attention focused on traffic.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
It says high levels of rainfall, alongside relatively mild temperatures all year round, provide the right environment for rare lichens and mosses.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
Two projects – one in the Yorkshire Dales and another on Marsden Moor near Huddersfield – are reintroducing mosses to the uplands, which it is hoped will also create diverse habitats for wildlife.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
That experience later led the team to publish a study in the journal Forensic Sciences Research, bringing together known cases in which mosses and related plants played a role in solving crimes.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 1, 2026
When autumn temperatures stay higher for longer, mosses have more time to develop their spore capsules before winter arrives.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025
The sun was newly risen, and the rocks and the lichens and mosses on them shone crisp and brilliant in the morning light, but nowhere could he see a figure.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
