Meaning & use
topsoil
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnical
the upper layer of soil, usually dark and full of nutrients, where most plant roots grow.
Grammar: No plural and no an or an; you can say 'a layer of topsoil' or 'the topsoil'.
Patterns
- a layer of topsoil
- remove topsoil
- rich in topsoil
The gardener spread a thick layer of topsoil over the seeds.
Heavy rain washed the topsoil down the slope.
Healthy topsoil contains worms, insects, and dead plant material.
noununcountable
soil sold in bags for use in gardens and plant pots.
Grammar: Often used with buy, add, or mix in when talking about gardening.
Patterns
- buy topsoil
- mix topsoil into something
- add topsoil to something
We bought three bags of topsoil for the new flower bed.
Mix some topsoil into the clay to help the roots grow.
Common combinations
- a layer of topsoil
- A thin layer of topsoil covered the rocky ground.
- lose topsoil
- Farmers lose topsoil when fields are left bare.
- erosion of topsoil
- Wind causes serious erosion of topsoil in dry regions.
- bags of topsoil
- She loaded two bags of topsoil into the car.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surface soil
- A more descriptive phrase used in science; it is less common in everyday gardening talk.
- earth
- A general word for the substance plants grow in; it does not refer specifically to the upper, fertile layer.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: topsoil or top-soil?
topsoil vs top-soil
The hyphenated spelling is sometimes seen but is less standard than the single word 'topsoil'.
Practice
After the storm, a lot of ______ was washed away from the hillside.
Choose one answer.
Topsoil is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes no article. 'A topsoil' and 'topsoils' are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “topsoil”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.