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
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
The soil will benefit from a little cultivation and a top dressing of compost or leaf mold, which is then scratched into the soil.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2021
That’s not considered a compost, that’s more a top dressing.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2021
A top dressing of evergreen branches kept the ice from melting until midsummer.
From Time Magazine Archive
Liliums.—Give them a liberal supply of water, and a top dressing of turfy peat, sand, and well-decomposed cowdung.
From In-Door Gardening for Every Week in the Year Showing the Most Successful Treatment for all Plants Cultivated in the Greenhouse, Conservatory, Stove, Pit, Orchid, and Forcing-house by Keane, William
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.
