night soil

Definition of night soilnext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of night soil This strategy became necessary after an errant tomato plant sprouted from a visitor's night soil back in the 1960s. — Amy Brady, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023 The night soil temperatures are not ideal to put them out yet. — oregonlive, 1 May 2021 For millennia, people collected these precious substances—often in the wee hours, giving rise to the term night soil—and used them to grow food. — Julia Rosen, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for night soil
Noun
  • Introduced crawling through the Trask family’s field, her black blood spattering their rich soil like a human pesticide, Cathy personifies the series’ potent blend of dread and beauty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • During dry periods, soil-dwelling bacteria produce a compound called geosmin that deters insects such as fruit flies.
    — Gregory Wakeman, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Under a black coat, the petite and poised Navarrette sits on a stool.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Wayne became the third leg of the stool for people like Dominick Dunne, who had a knack for earning people’s confidence and could spin a hell of a yarn.
    — Mike Hogan, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Meanwhile, without the animal manure that farmers once used to enrich the soil, the farmers’ seedlings struggle to germinate.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026
  • People tend to think of waste as trash, sewage, slag, manure and other seemingly useless or disgusting substances.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Past visitors include different types of tuna that have delighted sport fishers, and open-ocean red crabs that can change the poop color of birds that feast on them.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • There were over 25 poop pellets in that storage area, near the stairs where there was also a dead roach.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Mosquito excrement could provide valuable insight on potential pathogens.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Gulliver incredulously witnesses people attempting to extract sunbeams from cucumbers and turn excrement back into edible food.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Night soil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/night%20soil. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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