manure
Americannoun
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excrement, especially of animals, or other refuse used as fertilizer.
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any natural or artificial substance for fertilizing the soil.
verb (used with object)
noun
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animal excreta, usually with straw, used to fertilize land
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any material, esp chemical fertilizer, used to fertilize land
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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manuresimple
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manuressimple
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have manuredperfect
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has manuredperfect
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am manuringprogressive
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are manuringprogressive
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is manuringprogressive
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have been manuringperfect progressive
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has been manuringperfect progressive
Past
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manuredsimple
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had manuredperfect
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was manuringprogressive
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were manuringprogressive
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had been manuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of manure
1350–1400; Middle English manouren to till, cultivate < Middle French manouvrer to do manual work. See maneuver
Explanation
Gardeners use the word manure to mean a fertilizer made from animal waste. Manure is good for helping plants grow and stay healthy. When you spread manure on your vegetable garden, you're feeding the soil and plants with nutrients that encourage growth. The manure itself might be, for example, a combination of cow dung and straw, or slightly decomposed chicken waste. Sometimes the word manure is used for any kind of fertilizer, including those made entirely from plants. The earliest meaning of manure was "to cultivate land," from an Old French root word, manouvrer, "to work with the hands or cultivate."
Vocabulary lists containing manure
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Charlotte's Web
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Because of Mr. Terupt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Manure has all this stuff in it and we don't have to do too much extra work," Jin says.
From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2023
Manure, organic fertilizers such as feather, bone or blood meal are sources of nitrogen.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022
Manure can cause serious problems if it contaminates nearby streams, lakes and groundwater, said Chris Jones, a research engineer and water quality expert at the University of Iowa.
From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2022
Manure for the fruits and vegetables I grow is not in short supply!
From BBC • Aug. 4, 2020
Manure has been valuable, too, as a source of fuel for fires in traditional societies.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
