understory

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.

By keeping fire out of the state’s wildlands altogether, California has grown thick with branches, brush and understory that are now acting as fuel for the state’s ever-larger blazes.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025

These birds, Pollock reasoned, might have more tolerance to temperature fluctuations than their understory counterparts.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 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

They were close enough to the island now to see it was teeming with plant life: trees twice the size of the ship and an understory of bushes and tall grass.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee