understory

noun

un·​der·​sto·​ry ˈən-dər-ˌstȯr-ē 

1

: an underlying layer of vegetation

specifically : the vegetative layer and especially the trees and shrubs between the forest canopy and the ground cover

2

: the plants that form the understory

Examples of understory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bees avoid the gloom of the understory—with few flowers, there’s little to entice them—but wasps don’t mind it, and are attracted to the helleborines by the promise of an intoxicating nectar (itself made by a symbiosis with fungi). — Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026

Aspen/alder edges with an understory of hazelbrush are prime Michigan locations. — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026

Why use glyphosate For well over a century, the state and federal government aggressively suppressed all fire in California forests — many of which were adapted to low-severity flames that rolled through the understory every five to 20 years. — Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Like forests on land, kelp forms dense canopies at the sea surface that shade a mid-water understory while below, their gnarled root-like holdfasts sculpt the seafloor. — Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for understory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

understory

noun

un·​der·​sto·​ry ˈən-dər-ˌstōr-ē 

-ˌstȯr-

: the layer of plants and especially the trees and shrubs between the forest canopy and the ground cover