What does "undergrowth" mean?

The plants in a forest which only reach a relatively low height (such as shrubs and bushes).

What is a synonym for "undergrowth"?

Common synonyms include: underbrush, underbrush, boscage, brush, brushwood, frith.

Pronounced //ˈʌndɚˌɡɹoʊθ//.

//ˈʌndɚˌɡɹoʊθ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The plants in a forest which only reach a relatively low height (such as shrubs and bushes). uncountable, usually
"tangled undergrowth"
2
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest wordnet

"The work mostly consists of removing undergrowth and clearing away litter."

From under- + growth. Cognate with West Frisian ûndergroei (“undergrowth”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.