How to Use lichen in a Sentence

lichen

noun
Definition of lichennext
  • Here is the lichen turned crouton; here, the squid turned tartlet.
    — Daniel Wenger, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2017
  • The knob was a small rocky knoll, covered with mosses, shrubs, and lichen.
    — Longreads, 12 Mar. 2018
  • The gray, crusty portions attached to stems are lichens.
    — Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2023
  • To lichens and moss, the wall’s dry stones are surfaces where plants can’t compete.
    — Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023
  • So again, picture dried Elmer's glue, or the light blue lichen that grows on tree trunks.
    — Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2018
  • Near the river, a large Garry Oak tree is swathed in fringes of lime-green lichen.
    — Lisa Pemberton, The Seattle Times, 16 July 2017
  • The blues even have a little bit of a green undertone, like lichen on a stone.
    — Lisa Cregan, House Beautiful, 18 Aug. 2014
  • Mosses, lichens, fern mats, even other trees all grow in the canopy soil.
    — NBC News, 28 July 2019
  • Not all tardigrades dwell in water; some species live in moss and lichens on trees.
    — Ben Guarino, ajc, 14 July 2017
  • That has allowed moose their willows and caribou their lichen, as well as the space to breed and move around.
    — Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2018
  • This means that, to a hungry reindeer, the lichens look like blobs of black in a sea of white, even when they are buried beneath the snow.
    — Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2023
  • To make: Cover a 12- to 16-inch foam wreath form with clumps of moss and lichen, attaching with hot-glue.
    — Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 9 Aug. 2023
  • The girls scattered, gathering wood and old-man’s beard, a pale-green lichen that makes a good fire starter.
    — Susan Shain, The Atlantic, 5 June 2019
  • The forest floor is alive with mushrooms, lichens, moss and fox droppings.
    — William Booth, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Aside from causing pain, oral lichen planus can lead to cancer.
    — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, 25 Apr. 2018
  • The moss and lichen growing on everything, even old rusty cars.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023
  • Ferns, lichen and moss grow in them, and salamanders, spotted owls and bats reside in the trees.
    — Jim Robbins Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
  • From lichen to hunter, lime, chartreuse, olive, and beyond, there's a right shade of green for every space!
    — Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 1 Mar. 2023
  • It’s often said that there are only a few types of poisonous lichen.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2012
  • Some species of insects, lichens and fungi are found only in old-growth forests.
    — Adrian Higgins, idahostatesman, 25 Oct. 2017
  • The cedars appear almost like ghosts, with the light green lichen on their reddish bark set off against the snow cover.
    — Peter Marteka, courant.com, 4 Feb. 2018
  • There were no reindeer, whales, polar bears, or lichen.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 27 Sep. 2017
  • Their nests are the size of half a walnut, and are made of plant down, lichen and moss, all weaved together with spider web.
    — Ciscoe Morris, The Seattle Times, 21 June 2017
  • The genus is known to feed on deadwood, dead leaves, leaf litter or lichens, according to Hoare.
    — Rina Diane Caballar, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2023
  • Incidentally, the flaky growths on the trunk are lichens.
    — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 24 Mar. 2023
  • The little guests were able to take turns feeding the animals handfuls of lichen.
    — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, 7 Dec. 2018
  • That will encourage thicker canopies, which in turn will thicken up the top growth and cut off sunlight to the lichens.
    — Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Mar. 2018
  • The hummingbird was building herself a nest, one lichen chip and strand of spider silk at a time.
    — Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 12 May 2020
  • Reindeer graze on lichen, polar bears prowl the coastlines, and great whales swim in the offshore waters.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 27 Sep. 2017
  • No ants, but it was covered with an artist’s palette of lichen and moss, crafted in shades of yellow, brown, gray and green.
    — Ernie Cowan Outdoors, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 Dec. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lichen.' 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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