: 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
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The key fertilizer urea is up 25% to 30%, with nitrogen and potassium fertilizer costs similarly elevated, just as farmers are receiving their lowest cost per bushel in 17 crop years.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
The Middle East conflict threatens food security in countries that source a large share of their urea from the Gulf, such as Kenya and Tanzania, and others that were previously hit by the fertilizer supply disruptions due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
—semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz for the vast majority of vessels for more than six weeks — a previously unthinkable scenario for a waterway that ordinarily carries about a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies and a third of the world’s urea fertilizer exports.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
This vital but narrow waterway shepherds through a fifth of the world’s crude oil and a third of its granular urea, a type of nitrogen fertilizer.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
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Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
The Middle East conflict threatens food security in countries that source a large share of their urea from the Gulf, such as Kenya and Tanzania, and others that were previously hit by the fertilizer supply disruptions due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
—semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz for the vast majority of vessels for more than six weeks — a previously unthinkable scenario for a waterway that ordinarily carries about a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies and a third of the world’s urea fertilizer exports.
—Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
This vital but narrow waterway shepherds through a fifth of the world’s crude oil and a third of its granular urea, a type of nitrogen fertilizer.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for urea
Cite this Entry
“Urea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urea. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
urea
noun
: 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
: 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
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