forest floor

noun

: the richly organic layer of soil and debris characteristic of forested land

Examples of forest floor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first story was set in the 1980s while the second volume, recently wrapped, was set in the 1990s, at the dawn of the Internet age and culminated with a shocking finale that left readers’ jaws on the forest floor. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026

The sun pours through its many gaps, creating a constellation of light that illuminates the forest floor below. — Liam Scott, Washington Post, 24 July 2026

These enormous swaths of boreal forest from the Yukon to Newfoundland and Labrador—more than 1 million square miles—act as massive vaults for carbon, which is locked away in billions of trees and the forest floor. — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

After such a fire, shrubs that usually fight for scarce sunlight on the forest floor suddenly have it all day and take over. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for forest floor

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

Kids Definition

forest floor

noun

: the upper layer of mixed soil and decayed or decaying organic material typical of forested land