undergrowth
Americannoun
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low-lying vegetation or small trees growing beneath larger trees; underbrush.
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the condition of being undergrown or undersized.
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short, fine hair underlying longer, outer wool or fur.
noun
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small trees, bushes, ferns, etc, growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
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the condition of being undergrown
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a growth of short fine hairs beneath longer ones; underfur
Etymology
Origin of undergrowth
Explanation
The plants that grow on a forest floor, including shrubs and small trees, are called undergrowth. If you leave a marked hiking trail in the woods, you might have a hard time getting through the undergrowth. You won't find a lot of undergrowth in a North American forest in the winter — most ferns and other plants die back, and many shrubs and trees lose their leaves. In the summertime, however, undergrowth can be thick and dense under the taller, older trees. This noun dates from the 1600s, a combination of under, "beneath or below," and growth, "something that has grown."
Vocabulary lists containing undergrowth
"The Road Not Taken"
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Into the Wild
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Wolf Hollow
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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.
Besides controlled burning of bushland, that work can also involve clearing undergrowth with machines or even by hand.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
But instead of Samba, a startled muntjac—a small deer—darted out of the undergrowth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
In Colorado, Kimberly Jones has grown her herd of goats from 25 to 250 in seven years, deploying their efficient teeth, hooves and stomachs to clear undergrowth to stem the spread of flames.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Special forces found Oseguera hiding in undergrowth, badly wounded along with two of his team, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
He followed a path through the undergrowth, passing old trees and mossy stones and thick brambles, and he stopped in a small clearing.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
