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

First he tells me to top-dress the upper lot, and then right off he wants me to harness up and go to the mill.

From A Princess in Calico by Black, Edith Ferguson

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)

Of course, it is far better to top-dress the rows in spring than not at all.

From Success with Small Fruits by Roe, Edward Payson

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

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

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