ground cover

noun

1

: the small plants on a forest floor except young trees

2

a

: a planting of low plants (such as ivy) that covers the ground in place of turf

b

: a plant adapted for use as ground cover

Examples of ground cover in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Residents should clear dead or dying vegetation around their homes, landscape with fire-resistant plants and nonflammable ground cover, and find alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris, according to Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit. —Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026

The Pocket Blanket folds down to roughly the size of a wallet but unfolds into a surprisingly spacious ground cover for picnics, lunch breaks, beach days, and campsite lounging. —Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026

Plant it as a border or ground cover along with your cabbage, tomatoes, and carrots. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

This charming ground cover is often used as a natural soil-enriching cover crop or a resilient lawn alternative. —Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ground cover

• discover
• hardcover
• recover
• thereover
• uncover
• hover
• plover
• rediscover
• undercover

Kids Definition

ground cover

noun

: low-growing plants that cover the ground (as in a forest or in place of grass or a lawn)

also : a plant used as ground cover