top-dress

American

[top-dres] / ˈtɒpˌdrɛs /

verb (used with object)

top-dressed, top-drest, top-dressing

to manure (land) on the surface.

top-dress British

verb

(tr) to spread manure or fertilizer on the surface of (land) without working it into the soil

"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

Etymology

Origin of top-dress

First recorded in 1725–35; top ¹ + dress

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.

Return anything too chunky to the bin, and top-dress your plants indoors or out with the good stuff.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Would it be good policy to use the manure, or would it be more satisfactory to top-dress with gypsum?

From One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered by Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)

The accumulation of the winter is usually applied to the land for the corn crop, except the finer portion, which is used to top-dress meadow land.

From Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel by Johnson, Samuel W. (Samuel William)

If the soil is heavy, top-dress with grit in the fall.

From Making A Rock Garden by Adams, H. S. (Henry Sherman)

It may be desirable to top-dress with gypsum near the end of the rainy season to stimulate the growth of the plant.

From One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered by Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023