: any of a division (Filicophyta) or class (Filicopsida) of flowerless spore-producing vascular plants having alternating sporophyte and gametophyte generations
especially
: any of an order (Filicales) of homosporous plants possessing roots, stems, and leaflike fronds compare seed fern
Examples of fern in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some 130 million years ago during the early Cretaceous, when dinosaurs still reigned, the world was transitioning from domination by ferns and conifers to domination by flowering plants.
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Ari Daniel, NPR, 28 June 2024
Under towering trees, among ferns and forbs, participants will find all kinds of things staying cooler in the shade.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2024
Intensive agricultural usage, long promoted by government funding, gives way to the rampant spread of bracken — a type of fern that, left to its own devices, grows upwards of six feet, choking out any other life.
—Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024
Then there are the immense fields of ferns that seem to appear out of nowhere.
—Jim Holden, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for fern 
Ari Daniel, NPR, 28 June 2024
Under towering trees, among ferns and forbs, participants will find all kinds of things staying cooler in the shade.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2024
Intensive agricultural usage, long promoted by government funding, gives way to the rampant spread of bracken — a type of fern that, left to its own devices, grows upwards of six feet, choking out any other life.
—Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024
Then there are the immense fields of ferns that seem to appear out of nowhere.
—Jim Holden, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for fern
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fern.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fern.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fern. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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