organic compounds
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Generally, anything made from living systems, such as cloth, fuels, or wood, is said to be organic. Organic foods are grown with no fertilizer except the organic compounds found naturally in plants and animals.
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.
Three years ago, a group of scientists working from Susan Flores’ neighbors’ backyard using soil vapor sampling detected the presence of volatile organic compounds that they say may be associated with decomposing human remains.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The group used a technology known as soil vapor sampling, which they say could detect volatile organic compounds associated with decomposing human remains.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The e-noses can sniff out the unique signatures of volatile organic compounds not only in the breath, but in excretions like sweat or urine, and have AI quickly identify them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Volatile organic compounds like benzene, stemming from burnt PVC pipes, have entered drinking water.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
No matter what its original condition, the intense rain and heat of the forest have eroded its surface, washed out all its minerals, and decomposed vital organic compounds.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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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.