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Synonyms

understory

American  
[uhn-der-stawr-ee, -stohr-ee] / ˈʌn dərˌstɔr i, -ˌstoʊr i /

noun

  1. the shrubs and plants growing beneath the main canopy of a forest.

Etymology

Origin of understory

First recorded in 1900–05; under- + story 2

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.

The understory of the ponderosa and sugar pine forest was speckled with manzanita, oak trees and dogwoods with yellow leaves, marking the start of fall.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2024

These actions can help ensure their regeneration while decreasing dominance of weedy understory species.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2024

Coffee is an understory plant: It grows best under a canopy of shade-providing trees.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2023

The disease can spread quickly in younger trees, killing saplings and understory beech at a high rate.

From Washington Times • Oct. 20, 2023

I pull Alice across the clearing into the shelter of the forest understory.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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.