urea

noun

yu̇-ˈrē-ə 

: a soluble weakly basic nitrogenous compound CO(NH₂)₂ that is the chief solid component of mammalian urine and an end product of protein decomposition, is synthesized from carbon dioxide and ammonia, and is used especially in synthesis (as of resins and plastics) and in fertilizers and animal rations

Examples of urea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The price of ammonia and urea, two fertilizer ingredients seeing disruptions, are up around 20% and 50% percent, respectively, since the start of the Iran war, according to Oxford Economics. —Lana Zak, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

Now that the passage is blocked, urea prices are up 50% since the war and ammonia 20%. —ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026

Ubel says some were holding out for lower prices this spring, only to see the price of the most common nitrogen fertilizer, urea, spike close to 30% when Iran shut down shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, halting close to half the world's fertilizer trade. —Frank Morris, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026

The country is one of the world’s leading producers of urea, a key component of fertilizer. —Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from French urée, from urine

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing urea

• urea-formaldehyde

Rhymes for urea

• chia
• mia
• pia
• rhea
• shia
• stria
• thea
• zia
• aliya
• aliyah
• althea
• apnoea

Kids Definition

urea

noun

yu̇-ˈrē-ə 

: a soluble nitrogen-containing compound that is the chief solid substance in the urine of mammals and is an end product of protein breakdown

Medical Definition

urea

noun

yu̇-ˈrē-ə 

: a soluble weakly basic nitrogenous compound CH₄N₂O that is the chief solid component of mammalian urine and an end product of protein decomposition and that is administered intravenously as a diuretic drug

called also carbamide