topsoil
noun
top·soil
ˈtäp-ˌsȯi(-ə)l 
: surface soil usually including the organic layer in which plants have most of their roots and which the farmer turns over in plowing
Examples of topsoil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Use a topsoil that is at least 40 percent organic matter (compost).
—
Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Some agricultural economists and agronomists counter that taking even small amounts of the best cropland out of production for solar development and damaging valuable topsoil impacts future crop potential in the United States.
—P.j. Huffstutter and Christopher Walljasper, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
Redirecting gutter downspouts can help, as can building up the area with a truckload or two of good topsoil.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Their short, muscled limbs and four-inch claws can break apart rotting logs for grubs and beetles, and dig for worms, boosting decomposition and cycling nutrients in the thin topsoil.
—Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
For years, volunteers have scraped away at the topsoil in a grassy field in Springettsbury Township.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
The Impact: Kansas is losing its topsoil at a rate 100 times faster than it can be replenished.
—Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023
To make her versions, Nicholson encases the roots of hellebores in damp topsoil and wraps the dirt in moss, then in twine, often hanging them from the rafters of her workshop.
—Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023
The heat may already have begun to thaw 40 percent of the park's permafrost, the layer of earth just under the topsoil that normally remains frozen year-round.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Some agricultural economists and agronomists counter that taking even small amounts of the best cropland out of production for solar development and damaging valuable topsoil impacts future crop potential in the United States.
—P.j. Huffstutter and Christopher Walljasper, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
Redirecting gutter downspouts can help, as can building up the area with a truckload or two of good topsoil.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Their short, muscled limbs and four-inch claws can break apart rotting logs for grubs and beetles, and dig for worms, boosting decomposition and cycling nutrients in the thin topsoil.
—Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
For years, volunteers have scraped away at the topsoil in a grassy field in Springettsbury Township.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
The Impact: Kansas is losing its topsoil at a rate 100 times faster than it can be replenished.
—Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023
To make her versions, Nicholson encases the roots of hellebores in damp topsoil and wraps the dirt in moss, then in twine, often hanging them from the rafters of her workshop.
—Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023
The heat may already have begun to thaw 40 percent of the park's permafrost, the layer of earth just under the topsoil that normally remains frozen year-round.
—Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topsoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near topsoil
Cite this Entry
“Topsoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topsoil. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
topsoil
noun
top·soil
-ˌsȯil
: surface soil usually including the rich upper layer in which plants have most of their roots and which the farmer turns over in plowing
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