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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The drop-in pitch uses the same grass as the outfield, with five per cent comprising artificial turf knitted into a base grid below the topsoil. Michael Bailey, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 In the 1930s, rolling black dust storms blanketed America’s Great Plains, uprooting topsoil and crops across 100 million acres of land. Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025 This is a good time to fill in any low spots in your garden with compost or a combination of topsoil and compost. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Nov. 2025 With the exception of the biological components found in Earth’s topsoil, the composition of the Moon’s regolith is identical to the composition of Earth’s crust. Big Think, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for topsoil

Word History

First Known Use

1733, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of topsoil was in 1733

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Cite this Entry

“Topsoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topsoil. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on topsoil

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