as in loam
a brown or black material in soil that is formed when plants and animals decay
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Recent Examples of humus
Burnt soil has obviously lost any mulch that had been present as well as the layer of decomposing organic material or humus just below it.
—
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025
Including the sand provides better drainage, and the humus in the compost holds nutrients and provides moisture control.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2024
When separating clumps, add humus to the new planting area, spread roots out, and water well for smooth transplanting.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that humus rot.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for humus
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Feb. 2025
Including the sand provides better drainage, and the humus in the compost holds nutrients and provides moisture control.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2024
When separating clumps, add humus to the new planting area, spread roots out, and water well for smooth transplanting.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all that humus rot.
—Chris Bohjalian, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for humus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humus
Noun
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But the conflict between Joe and Ted goes back further and is rooted in a deep loam of backstory that emerges bit by bit.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
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The region's soils consist of limestone, clay, and iron-rich loams.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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High winds brought loose topsoil across the state and into the city, limiting visibility and shocking meteorologists who had not documented a weather event of this kind in the city since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.—
Julia Rendleman,
ProPublica,
5 Sep. 2025
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Dudas ended up using the boulder in his landscaping, making space for the massive rock in his front yard, adding mulch, topsoil, and indigenous plants to the area, as well as other smaller rocks.—
Meredith Wilshere,
People.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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So, working out that musical movie with the clay of the songs that had already been written and how to work a new scenario around that became a really fun puzzle.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
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Those intriguing chemical fingerprints include the iron-containing minerals vivianite and greigite, which Perseverance spotted in the clay-rich sediments of a long-dry lakebed.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As the rover’s instruments confirmed, the red is iron-rich mud, the purple is iron and phosphorous, the yellow and green are iron and sulfur.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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What's exciting is that a combination of mud and organic matter has reacted to produce these minerals and these textures, Hurowitz said.—
Bill Chappell,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humus. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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