plural peats
1
a
: a dark brown fibrous material that is formed primarily by the partial decomposition of organic matter and especially plants (such as sphagnum moss) in wet, oxygen-deficient areas (such as bogs or swamps) and that is harvested especially for use as a fuel for heating or cooking or as a soil amendment
Some boreal forests contain peat, which can slow fire—if it's wet. But if that peat is dry, it can burn underground and spread fires even farther.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce
Caroline Mimbs NyceBehind the … houses was the bog: an immense, bronze-hued ocean of deep peat, stretching into the horizon.—Tomas Weber
—sometimes used before another nounTomas WeberNow, the continuing problems of sea rise, water pollution, salt-water intrusion and the erosion of peat soil that make up much of the marshland threaten to compound the historic damage from development.—The Miami Herald
The Miami HeraldAs a peat bog, it helps to play a vital role in tackling climate change by locking away carbon as well as helping to regulate flood flows for the local community.—Jo Barnes
Jo Barnes
b
: peat moss
Dig a hole as deep as the plant's rootball and five times as wide. Amend the backfill soil with 50 percent peat …—Jim McCausland
Jim McCausland2
Scotland
: a section or piece of dried peat for use as fuel : turf sense 4b
While not uncommon these days for peats to be cut by machine there are still many who cut in the traditional way, and lines of peat banks both abandoned and still in use can be seen in landscapes wherever peat is cut.—Christine Smith
Christine Smith
peaty
adjective
Peaty soils contain about 20-25% of organic matter whereas there is about 50-90% in true peats.
—J. A. R. Lockhart and A. J. L. Wiseman
J. A. R. Lockhart and A. J. L. Wiseman
: a bold lively woman
Examples of peat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
But then there is smoky whisky that falls into another category entirely, with levels of peat that far surpass any of those beloved bottles.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
At the beginning of that play, her character has spent a decade as a sort of half widow; her husband, who had disappeared ten years earlier, has finally been found, mummified in a peat bog.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024
But the team there, led by head distiller Adam Hannett, pushes the boundaries of peat PPM with the Octomore whiskies, which far surpass the distillery’s other very smoky Port Charlotte series in terms of smoke.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for peat 
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.
Noun
These underground fires burn peat, an organic soil that includes sphagnum moss, the Post reports.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
But then there is smoky whisky that falls into another category entirely, with levels of peat that far surpass any of those beloved bottles.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
At the beginning of that play, her character has spent a decade as a sort of half widow; her husband, who had disappeared ten years earlier, has finally been found, mummified in a peat bog.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024
But the team there, led by head distiller Adam Hannett, pushes the boundaries of peat PPM with the Octomore whiskies, which far surpass the distillery’s other very smoky Port Charlotte series in terms of smoke.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for peat
Dictionary Entries Near peat
Cite this Entry
“Peat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peat. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share