Meaning & use

compost

noun·Everyday

Decayed organic material, such as food scraps and leaves, used to enrich and fertilize soil.

See it in a sentence

We added compost to the garden beds before planting the tomatoes in spring.

The city collects food waste separately so it can be turned into compost.

A note on using this word

Also used as a verb, "to compost food waste," meaning to convert it into this material.

Words with a similar meaning

mulchhumus

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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