compost

American  

[kom-pohst] / ˈkɒm poʊst /

noun

1. a mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil.

2. a composition; compound.

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verb (used with object)

• composts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• composted,
  past participle,  past
• composting
  present participle

1. to use in compost; make compost of.

   to compost manure and kitchen scraps.

2. to apply compost to (soil).

verb (used without object)

• composts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• composted,
  past participle,  past
• composting
  present participle

1. to make compost.

   Shredded leaves will compost easily.

compost British  

/ ˈkɒmpɒst /

noun

1. a mixture of organic residues such as decomposed vegetation, manure, etc, used as a fertilizer

2. a mixture, normally of plant remains, peat, charcoal, etc, in which plants are grown, esp in pots

3. rare a compound or mixture

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verb

1. to make (vegetable matter) into compost

2. to fertilize with compost

compost Scientific  

/ kŏm′pōst′ /

1. A mixture of decayed or decaying organic matter used to fertilize soil. Compost is usually made by gathering plant material, such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable peels, into a pile or bin and letting it decompose as a result of the action of aerobic bacteria, fungi, and other organisms.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• composter
  noun
• compostable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• composting
  present
• composted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compost
  simple
• composts
  simple
• have composted
  perfect
• has composted
  perfect
• am composting
  progressive
• are composting
  progressive
• is composting
  progressive
• have been composting
  perfect progressive
• has been composting
  perfect progressive

Past

• composted
  simple
• had composted
  perfect
• was composting
  progressive
• were composting
  progressive
• had been composting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compost
  simple
• will have composted
  perfect
• will be composting
  progressive
• will have been composting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of compost

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin compositum, noun use of neuter of compositus composite; cf. compote

Explanation

Compost is organic matter like orange peels and coffee grounds mixed together and left to decay, usually in a compost pile, then used as fertilizer. To make such a mixture is to compost. To compost is to make a mixture of organic matter, such as manure and leftover food, and leave it somewhere like a compost pile in the back yard or in a bucket with a tight lid in the kitchen. The mixture is also called compost, and after it sits and decays for a while, voila! It turns into fertilizer that makes the soil rich and the plants happy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compost composts composted composting

Glinting in the night, halfway up a hill in Japan, the greenhouse-like "Ku-An" test lab is lit by electricity harnessed from 1,500 wooden boxes of soil and compost.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

"Lu-An" has some 2,000 plastic cylinders of soil and compost to give 100 watts of output, enough to power a rice cooker and other appliances.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

For the founders of an award-winning community compost business, it's a no-brainer that the second answer is the correct one.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The soil below two inches should be unharmed, Adams said, so long as new compost is set and plants are watered plentifully, which will promote natural biological cycles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

I struggled out of the compost heap and over the last wall, dangled in limbo as the third chime bonged, then dropped onto the drive that runs down the side of Mr. Rhydd's shop.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

First Ave. The unassuming brick-clad structure generates its own power, collects and treats its own water, and composts its waste.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2022

All the manure they produce during the winter is spread out on the fields, where it composts back into the soil.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2021

The studio composts, eschews floral foam and sources many of its bought flowers from local growers.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020

While it uses solar power and composts its plant waste on site, it cannot pay more for packaging.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2018

Their estimation in composts is of great interest, though troublesome to execute. 7th.

From Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel by Samuel W. (Samuel William) Johnson

Her company has raised $25 million and composted more than 600 bodies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

At first, he said, it was hard to persuade people to live out the same wish of being composted that he’d held for so many years.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

The ultimate solution to Keurig's plastic footprint, she said, is a product that eliminates "the need to collect anything back from customers," like a fiber-based pod that can be composted along with the grounds.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024

In the past few years, more plastic has been going to incinerators and less food waste - which councils are now sending to anaerobic digesters or to be composted.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2024

We composted most of our waste and used it as fertilizer.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Further funding has allowed them to focus on research and development and set up a composting school to help other projects in other communities get going.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Signed into law in 2016, the state’s composting bill mandated a gradual increase in the amount of organic waste that must be diverted away from landfills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The state’s composting law has proved challenging on several fronts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Human composting, also known as terramation, is when the body of a person who has died is placed in a sealed vessel containing organic matter.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Buried clear to their butts in composting cow manure, the pigaerators were a bobbing sea of wriggling hams and corkscrew tails.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• fertilizer