manure

manure — noun

1. The waste material produced by farm animals such as horses, cows, or chickens, w

1.nounB1
Definition

The waste material produced by farm animals such as horses, cows, or chickens, which is spread onto or mixed into soil so that crops and other plants can grow better.

Example

Farmers spread cow manure over the wheat fields every spring to feed the soil.

common collocation: cow manure / horse manure

The gardener mixed horse manure with straw before adding it to the vegetable beds.

Common collocations
  • fresh manure
  • dried manure
  • well-rotted manure
  • horse manure
  • cow manure
  • chicken manure
  • spread manure
  • a pile of manure
  • a bag of manure
Synonyms
  • fertilizer

    Broader term — includes both natural animal waste and chemical products.

  • dung

    Refers to animal waste in general, but less commonly used in gardening or farming instructions.

  • compost

    Decomposed plant and food waste; distinct from manure, which is specifically animal waste.

Usage Note

Often paired with the name of the source animal (horse manure, cow manure, chicken manure) to specify which kind of waste is being used.

Common Mistakes

The farmer put chicken manures on the field.
The farmer put chicken manure on the field.
Manure is an uncountable noun and does not take a plural form.
I need to buy some manures for my garden.
I need to buy some manure for my garden.
Even when referring to different types, manure stays singular.

manure — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to materials that improve soil quality, but they differ in source and scope. 'Fertilizer' is the broadest term, covering any natural or chemical substance added to soil. 'Manure' is a type of natural fertilizer made specifically from animal waste — most often from horses, cows, or chickens. 'Compost' is also natural, but it comes from decomposed plant material and kitchen scraps rather than animal waste. 'Dung' refers to animal excrement in its raw form and is rarely used in gardening advice. For example, a farmer might say 'I spread horse manure on the field,' a gardener might say 'I added compost to the flower bed,' but you would not say 'I spread dung on the garden' in a normal conversation.

manure ↗fertilizer ↗compost ↗dung

Common collocations

Nouns

  • manure pile
  • manure spreader
  • manure heap
  • manure tea

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a load of manure
  • a pile of manure
  • rich in manure

Prepositions

  • with manure
  • into the soil
  • on the land

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'manure' entered English through Middle English 'manuren', which meant 'to cultivate or work the land by hand'. This came from the Old French 'manovrer' (to work with the hands), which developed from the Latin phrase 'manu operari' — combining 'manu' (by hand) and 'operari' (to work). Over centuries, the meaning shifted from the action of working the land to the material that was worked into the land to improve it.