top dressing
Americannoun
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a dressing of manure on the surface of land.
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the action of one who top-dresses.
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a top layer of gravel, crushed rock, etc., on a roadway.
noun
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a surface application of manure or fertilizer to land
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a thin layer of loose gravel that covers the top of a road surface
Other Word Forms
- top dresser noun
Etymology
Origin of top dressing
First recorded in 1755–65
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.
Add a top dressing of compost and/or earthworm castings to give the plant an added boost.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2023
That’s not considered a compost, that’s more a top dressing.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2021
You might lay a modest top dressing of rose feed to keep its floral cycles going through the fall.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2020
Almost unnoticed behind the ominous headlines last week, the varied slogans of the U.S. press continued to make one unimpeachable claim: nowhere else do front pages support so rich a top dressing of hyperbole.
From Time Magazine Archive
The rich top dressing will stimulate the early growth of the seedling, and when its roots enter the heavier soil below it will encourage a stocky growth.
From Cacao Culture in the Philippines by Lyon, William S. (Scrugham)
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.
