manure
Americannoun
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excrement, especially of animals, or other refuse used as fertilizer.
-
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
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.
The smell of manure and dirt wafted in the humid air.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Until recently manure from the Wye's chicken sheds was spread as cheap fertiliser on nearby arable farmers fields.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
They complain about ending up covered in manure or dust, or shivering in a freezer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
On Friday, dozens of French farmers protested in front of President Emmanuel Macron's seaside residence, spreading manure nearby to demonstrate the Mercosur trade deal and other grievances.
From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025
One of the attendants was washing the sea-lion manure off the middle platform of the pool, and at least he was able to do that with a certain degree of proficiency.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
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.
