compost

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Decayed plant and food waste used to make soil richer.

   Grammar: Uncountable; use 'some compost' or 'a pile of compost'.

   Patterns

   • make compost
   • add compost to something
   • a layer of compost

   We add compost to the garden soil every spring.

   The compost heap is full of vegetable peelings.

   You can make compost from grass cuttings and leaves.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitive

   To turn food or plant waste into compost.

   Grammar: Can take an object: compost the scraps. Also used without an object: We compost every week.

   Patterns

   • compost something
   • compost

   We compost our kitchen waste instead of throwing it away.

   The council encourages residents to compost at home.

   She composts coffee grounds and eggshells.

Word forms

Common combinations

compost heap

The compost heap is behind the shed.

make compost

It's easy to make compost from fallen leaves.

add compost

Add compost to the soil before planting.

compost bin

We keep a compost bin in the backyard.

Synonyms and how they differ

fertilizer

Fertilizer is any substance added to soil to help plants grow, including chemicals; compost is specifically decayed organic material.

humus

Humus is the dark organic matter in soil that remains after decomposition; compost is the material you add to create it.

Word family

compostable adjective

Capable of being turned into compost.

composting noun

The process of making compost.

Commonly confused: compost or compose?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “compost”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words