topsoil

noun

top·​soil ˈtäp-ˌsȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce topsoil (audio)
: surface soil usually including the organic layer in which plants have most of their roots and which the farmer turns over in plowing

Examples of topsoil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Impact: Kansas is losing its topsoil at a rate 100 times faster than it can be replenished. Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023 To make her versions, Nicholson encases the roots of hellebores in damp topsoil and wraps the dirt in moss, then in twine, often hanging them from the rafters of her workshop. Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 The heat may already have begun to thaw 40 percent of the park's permafrost, the layer of earth just under the topsoil that normally remains frozen year-round. Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023 Bracken and his wife, Kelly, own several construction and contracting-related companies, including for excavation, renting dumpsters and trailers, hauling garbage, providing transport support and aggregate materials, as well as topsoil and pulverized soil. Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2023 To start, there are six compost preparations laced with half a dozen medicinal herbs — yarrow, chamomile, stinging nettle, oak bark, dandelion and valerian — which rest in the compost for set periods of time before the compost is mixed into the topsoil. Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2023 The fields on which Kinnard typically spreads manure are highly susceptible to pollution due to the short distance between the topsoil and the water table below, and the prevalence of karst geology — fractures in the bedrock that allow liquid manure to easily access the water table. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2023 Who Fled On Monday, authorities in Everman, Texas, revealed cadaver dogs alerted authorities to the topsoil where a shed once stood on the property where the family lived, prior to the disappearance and presumed death of Noel, according to a news release. Tristan Balagtas, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2023 It might be turned into fertilizer but mostly it’s piled high and decays, ravaging topsoil and washing down hillsides into rivers. Ann Trieger Kurland, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topsoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1733, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of topsoil was in 1733

Dictionary Entries Near topsoil

Cite this Entry

“Topsoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topsoil. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

topsoil

noun
top·​soil -ˌsȯil How to pronounce topsoil (audio)
: surface soil usually including the rich upper layer in which plants have most of their roots and which the farmer turns over in plowing

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