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Synonyms

fertilizer

American  
[fur-tl-ahy-zer] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪ zər /

noun

  1. any substance used to fertilize the soil, especially a commercial or chemical manure.

  2. a person, insect, etc., that fertilizes an animal or plant.

    Bees are fertilizers of flowers.
fertilizer British  
/ ˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪzə /

noun

  1. any substance, such as manure or a mixture of nitrates, added to soil or water to increase its productivity

  2. an object or organism such as an insect that fertilizes an animal or plant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fertilizer Scientific  
/ fûr′tl-ī′zər /

  1. Any of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, spread on or worked into soil to increase its capacity to support plant growth. Synthetic fertilizers can greatly increase the productivity of soil but have high energy costs, since fossil fuels are required as a source of hydrogen, which is necessary to fix nitrogen in ammonia.

Etymology

Origin of fertilizer

First recorded in 1655–65; fertilize + -er 1

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.

While the jet-fuel and fertilizer narrative is a nice contrast to sputtering airline stocks, regulatory changes at home, rather than supply disruptions in the Middle East, are what have analysts on Wall Street most excited.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Similarly stranded are shipments of fertilizer, aluminum, steel and helium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

When it comes to rising grain and fertilizer costs, Cal-Maine said its exposure is limited in the near term.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has benefited American fertilizer producers, which investors are betting will gain market share while competition in the Middle East struggles to get their output to market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Not so long ago he let himself dream of Berlin and its great scientists: Fritz Haber, inventor of fertilizer; Hermann Staudinger, inventor of plastics.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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.