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
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
Now this effect was produced by the use of the guano as a top dressing; a method universally acknowledged to be the most unfavorable to the development of the full value of the application.
From Guano A Treatise of Practical Information for Farmers by Solon Robinson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
