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Synonyms

fertilizer

American  
[fur-tl-ahy-zer] / ˈfɜr tlˌaɪ zər /

noun

  1. any substance used to fertilize the soil, especially a commercial or chemical manure.

  2. a person, insect, etc., that fertilizes an animal or plant.

    Bees are fertilizers of flowers.
fertilizer British  
/ ˈfɜːtɪˌlaɪzə /

noun

  1. any substance, such as manure or a mixture of nitrates, added to soil or water to increase its productivity

  2. an object or organism such as an insect that fertilizes an animal or plant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fertilizer Scientific  
/ fûr′tl-ī′zər /

  1. Any of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, spread on or worked into soil to increase its capacity to support plant growth. Synthetic fertilizers can greatly increase the productivity of soil but have high energy costs, since fossil fuels are required as a source of hydrogen, which is necessary to fix nitrogen in ammonia.

Etymology

Origin of fertilizer

First recorded in 1655–65; fertilize + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Analysts have warned of shortages of fertilizer, necessary for farming, and helium, a critical component for medical machinery and chip production.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"Parts of the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America face the added strain of higher food and fertilizer prices and tighter financial conditions," the IMF said in a post on its website.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Find insight on global fertilizer flows and more in the latest Market Talks covering basic materials.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In addition to the shock of lower energy availability -- which can lead to a drop in economic output -- there are also concerns about food security related to fertilizer supply chains being frozen.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

I picked off bugs, pulled out weeds, and I gave 'em lots of that fertilizer called Tomato Food, like somebody told me.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.