fertilizer
noun
fer·til·iz·er
| \ ˈfər-tə-ˌlī-zər
\
\
Definition of fertilizer
: one that fertilizes
specifically
: a substance (such as manure or a chemical mixture) used to make soil more fertile
Examples of fertilizer in a Sentence
We only use organic fertilizer in our gardens.
They use chemical fertilizers on their lawn.
Recent Examples on the Web
For some reason gardeners this year are reporting plant injury from fertilizer applied against the plant stem more than past years. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Yeah, it feels wrong, but it’s time to plant your winter vegetables," 30 Aug. 2019 However, organic vegan leathers such as pinatex (made from pineapple leaves) and apeel (made from apple peel) can be converted into fertilizer or bio-gas. — Denitsa Tsekova, Fortune, "Sizing Up Vegan Leather: Is It Just A Fad?," 23 Aug. 2019 Fish emulsion and compost tea are great organic fertilizer boosts for the plants throughout the season, along with worm castings (worm poop!). — Joan Elovitz Kazan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "We challenged local chefs to create 6-ingredient tomato recipes. Here's what they came up with.," 20 Aug. 2019 Fossil fuels, commodities trading, chemicals, paper products, fertilizer: Koch Industries has inserted itself into nearly every aspect of daily life, raking in billions along the way. — Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, "‘Kochland’ Measures the Reach of a Politically Influential Corporate Giant," 13 Aug. 2019 Water systems there are often contaminated by nitrates from pesticides, fertilizer runoff and dairy waste, as well as arsenic, which scientists believe is released into aquifers by overpumping. — Alexei Koseff, SFChronicle.com, "Gavin Newsom signs $1 billion clean-water package for poor areas," 24 July 2019 Algal blooms can be worsened by fertilizer runoff from farming and waste from sewage treatment plants, but Frankovich says that doesn’t seem to be the case with red tides in Florida. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "What is red tide?," 13 July 2019 The recurring event, which scientists believe is caused by climate change and fertilizer runoff in the Amazon, has been documented since 2011. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Seaweed Could Be Worse Than Ever This Year Thanks Growing 5,500-Mile Patch of Sargassum," 10 July 2019 Around the planet, forces ranging from overfishing, pathogens from untreated sewage, fertilizer runoff, and the increasing challenge of global warming conspire to make things very difficult for coral reefs. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "New Atlas Captures Conditions of Nearly One-Fourth of World's Coral," 25 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fertilizer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for fertilizer
fertilizer
noun
English Language Learners Definition of fertilizer
: a substance (such as manure or a special chemical) that is added to soil to help the growth of plants
See the full definition for fertilizer in the English Language Learners Dictionary
fertilizer
noun
fer·til·iz·er
| \ ˈfər-tə-ˌlī-zər
\
\
Kids Definition of fertilizer
: material added to soil to make it more fertile
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