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
-
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.
They also leave behind a vital source of manure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
The smell of sweet milk hung in the air, mixed with the earthy musk of manure.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
He uses mostly poultry litter, an organic fertilizer comprised of bird manure, feathers, bedding material and spilled feed, and he buys a lot of it — 3,125 tons each year.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
The smell of manure and dirt wafted in the humid air.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The absence of wind today means we’re spared the smell of manure from the Roth’s farm across the valley.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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.
