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
Unless the compost is fully broken down into humus, this incorporation will also work organic matter into the soil, which helps with aeration and further supports microorganisms.
—
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2025
Closer and closer, the aroma draws me like a magnet…sun on granite, black humus, balsam fir, and a faint whiff of yellow birch smoke.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Collectively, these leftovers become part of the humus of the soil, helping retain water and support soil-dwelling microbes, invertebrates and roots.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for humus
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2025
Closer and closer, the aroma draws me like a magnet…sun on granite, black humus, balsam fir, and a faint whiff of yellow birch smoke.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
Collectively, these leftovers become part of the humus of the soil, helping retain water and support soil-dwelling microbes, invertebrates and roots.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for humus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humus
Noun
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Then, choose a sandy loam soil that's both rich in nutrients and slightly acidic.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
2 Mar. 2026
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Is the soil a porous, well-draining loam, or a rocky clay that will be hard to dig in and harder to drain?—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Never cut big roots or pile on topsoil—opt for groundcovers or call a pro if roots threaten structures.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
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In neighborhoods with new construction, the topsoil is stripped away, and the rubble left behind hardly qualifies as soil.—
Jamie McIntosh,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Hellebores are easy to grow in a range of soils, from clay to dry, rocky substrates, and tolerate heavy shade.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Set in a landscape stained by red clay and bad blood, villainy is commonplace.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The elevator delivers you to the lobby, where hanging textiles in warm ocher tones serve as the signature art piece, dyed using dorozome, a traditional mud-dyeing technique, with soil from the building site itself.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
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Now after these victories over the Rockets, surging Hornets and Pistons, there is a feel of legitimacy, of being something better than stuck in the play-in mud.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humus. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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