fertilizing

fertilizing — verb

1. to add a substance rich in nutrients to soil or around plants so that they grow

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to add a substance rich in nutrients to soil or around plants so that they grow larger, stronger, or more productive

Example

Every spring, Kenji fertilizes his vegetable garden with compost made from kitchen scraps.

collocation: fertilize + garden / soil / crops

The farm manager asked the workers to fertilize the wheat fields before the rainy season.

passive be asked + to-fertilize

Common collocations
  • fertilize the soil
  • fertilize the lawn
  • fertilize crops
  • fertilize with compost
  • fertilize regularly
Synonyms
  • enrich

    broader — can apply to soil quality generally; less specific about adding nutrients

  • feed

    less formal, used more for individual plants than fields

  • dress

    technical gardening term; 'top-dress' means to spread fertilizer on the surface

Grammar Patterns

fertilize + noun phrase (soil / land / plants / crops)

Usage Note

Object is typically soil, land, garden, or a crop name. The substance added can be called 'fertilizer' (noun) or referred to specifically as 'compost', 'manure', or 'plant food'.

Common Mistakes

I need to fertilize the water in the vase.
I need to fertilize the soil in the flowerpot.
fertilize applies to soil or growing medium, not to water.

2. when a male sperm or pollen cell joins with a female egg cell, making it possibl

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

when a male sperm or pollen cell joins with a female egg cell, making it possible for a new living thing to start growing

Example

In human reproduction, a single sperm cell fertilizes the egg inside the woman's body.

scientific register: fertilize + egg + sperm

Under the microscope, the biologist watched the sperm fertilize the frog eggs one by one.

Common collocations
  • fertilize an egg
  • fertilize an ovule
  • fertilized by sperm
  • artificially fertilized
  • fertilize in vitro
Synonyms
  • impregnate

    more formal; implies successful pregnancy rather than the cellular event

  • inseminate

    technical term for the act of introducing sperm; narrower than fertilize

  • pollinate

    only for plants and flowers, not animals

Grammar Patterns

fertilize + noun phrase (egg / ovum / ovule)

be fertilized by + noun phrase (sperm / pollen)

Usage Note

Formal or scientific register. In casual conversation, 'fertilize an egg' is uncommon — people say 'the egg was fertilized' or use context-specific terms like 'pollinate' for plants. The passive construction ('be fertilized by') appears frequently in textbooks and research papers.

Common Mistakes

The farmer fertilized the chicken's egg.' (ambiguous between adding nutrients and reproduction).
The hen's egg was fertilized by the rooster.
for biological reproduction, use the passive or make the agent (sperm/male) clear.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All three words involve making soil better for plant growth, but they differ in scope and register. 'Enrich' is the broadest — it can mean improving soil quality in any way (adding organic matter, minerals, or even just turning the soil), not necessarily with a nutrient product. 'Feed' is more personal and hands-on — gardeners feed individual rose bushes or tomato plants with liquid plant food, but a large-scale farmer does not 'feed' a hundred-acre wheat field. 'Dress' (especially 'top-dress') is a technical gardening term meaning to spread a layer of compost or fertilizer on the surface around plants without digging it in. For everyday use, 'fertilize' is the most natural choice: you fertilize a lawn, a garden bed, or a crop field. 'Enrich' is better for general soil improvement ('Add compost to enrich the soil'), while 'dress' belongs in gardening manuals.

enrich ↗feed ↗dress ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • add fertilizer to
  • spread fertilizer on
  • be fertilized with

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'fertilize' comes from Latin 'fertilis', meaning 'fruitful' or 'productive', which itself comes from 'ferre' meaning 'to carry, bear, or produce'. It entered English through French in the mid-17th century, first used to describe making land productive for farming, and later extended to biological reproduction in the 19th century.