manure

1 of 2

verb

ma·​nure mə-ˈnu̇r How to pronounce manure (audio)
-ˈnyu̇r,
-ˈn(y)ü-ər
manured; manuring

transitive verb

1
obsolete : cultivate
2
: to enrich (land) by the application of manure
manurer noun

manure

2 of 2

noun

: material that fertilizes land
especially : refuse of stables and barnyards consisting of livestock excreta with or without litter
manurial adjective

Examples of manure in a Sentence

Noun a bag of cow manure fertilizers made from animal manures
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Is manure the future of fuel? Maria Jimenez Moya, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2022 That’s a lot of mouths to feed and coats to brush and manure to shovel. Mary Carole McCauley, baltimoresun.com, 17 Nov. 2020 At Heligan, the soil was manured, aerated, and assiduously double dug for centuries; plants must have been queuing at the gates. Charlotte Mendelson, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2019
Noun
California is a stronghold of liberalism, but the Central Valley, where the scent of manure rims the highways and cattle ranchers tend winter grass, is a redoubt of conservatism. Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The permits require farms to have plans on how to store and get rid of the massive amounts of manure produced by the animals. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Agriculture – specifically gas-belching cows and gas-emitting manure – is the single biggest source of methane in the U.S., according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Julia Simon, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Plant nutrition consists of fertilizers applied in spring as well as manure or compost. Barb Sands, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2024 One adult worker in the Yakima Valley drowned in a manure lagoon. Hannah Dreier, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2023 Soil pollution was once widespread from the dumping of excess manure in gutters and rivers. Raf Casert, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 The smell of dirt, hay and horse manure permeated the building. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2024 Since then, animal manure, an alternative to chemical fertilizer, has been in short supply. Jack Thompson, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English manouren, from Anglo-French mainouverer, meinourer to till (land), construct, create, from Medieval Latin manu operare to perform manual labor, from Latin manu by hand + operari to work — more at operate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1532, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near manure

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

manure

1 of 2 verb
ma·​nure mə-ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r How to pronounce manure (audio)
manured; manuring
: to enrich by applying manure
manure a field

manure

2 of 2 noun
: material that fertilizes land
especially : bodily waste from birds and animals in stables and barnyards with or without litter
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!