manure

1 of 2

verb

ma·​nure mə-ˈnu̇r How to pronounce manure (audio)
-ˈnyu̇r,
-ˈn(y)ü-ər
manured; manuring
Synonyms of manurenext

transitive verb

1
obsolete : cultivate
2
: to enrich (land) by the application of manure
manurer noun

manure

2 of 2

noun

: material that fertilizes land
especially : refuse of stables and barnyards consisting of livestock excreta with or without litter
manurial
mə-ˈn(y)u̇r-ē-əl How to pronounce manure (audio)
adjective

Examples of manure in a Sentence

Noun a bag of cow manure fertilizers made from animal manures
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Hundreds of millions of additional IRA dollars could be dished out to manure biogas projects over the next few years, according to Farm Forward. — Kenny Torrella, Vox, 13 Jan. 2025 Bailey and other Nelsonville residents were profiled in a Wausau Daily Herald story in 2020 about their fears that manure from a CAFO about a mile from the small Portage County community was leaching nitrogen into their groundwater. — Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Consider tilling compost or composted manure into the planting bed. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 Mar. 2025 The composting bin contains some 250,000 red wiggler worms that feast on the manure of the animals and poultry that live on the farm, and decompose plant detritus, coffee grounds, and table scraps as well. — Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for manure

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English manouren, from Anglo-French mainouverer, meinourer to till (land), construct, create, from Medieval Latin manu operare to perform manual labor, from Latin manu by hand + operari to work — more at operate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1532, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manure was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing manure

Rhymes for manure

See All Rhymes for manure

Browse Nearby Words

manure
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manure. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

manure

1 of 2 verb
ma·​nure mə-ˈn(y)u̇(ə)r How to pronounce manure (audio)
manured; manuring
: to enrich by applying manure
manure a field

manure

2 of 2 noun
: material that fertilizes land
especially : bodily waste from birds and animals in stables and barnyards with or without litter

More from Merriam-Webster on manure

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for manure

Nglish: Translation of manure for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about manure

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All