fertilize
Americanverb (used with object)
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Biology.
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to render (the female gamete) capable of development by uniting it with the male gamete.
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to fecundate or impregnate (an animal or plant).
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to make fertile; enrich.
to fertilize farmland.
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to make productive.
verb
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to provide (an animal, plant, or egg cell) with sperm or pollen to bring about fertilization
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to supply (soil or water) with mineral and organic nutrients to aid the growth of plants
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to make fertile or productive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fertilize
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.
He said he already had paid $50,000 more than last year to fertilize his corn fields in the past 30 days.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
He will spread more of what my dad used to fertilize his roses.
From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026
Surface water, for example, could have runoff that includes nitrate used to fertilize land in agricultural areas.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024
"We evaluated several doses and treatment schedules and then determined sperm motility and number in the mice as well as their ability to fertilize females."
From Science Daily • May 23, 2024
I gathered up the street droppings myself to fertilize them.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
