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

Moss Pink Also known as creeping phlox (Phlox subulata), this ground cover forms lush mats of flowers and foliage and looks pretty spilling over a low wall or rock ledge. —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2025

Plant or prune ground covers to clear dead portions and stimulate new growth — including ice plant, ivy, potentilla and wild strawberry. —Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025

Heuchera, a ground cover, is notorious for being short-lived, an inevitable consequence of overirrigation. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025

Utilizing large grasses and adding in ground cover plants, will also keep your landscaping budget low. —Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2024

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