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Synonyms

topsoil

American  
[top-soil] / ˈtɒpˌsɔɪl /

noun

  1. the fertile, upper part of the soil.

verb (used with object)

  1. to cover (land) with topsoil.

topsoil British  
/ ˈtɒpˌsɔɪl /

noun

  1. the surface layer of soil

"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

verb

  1. to spread topsoil on (land)

  2. to remove the topsoil from (land)

"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
topsoil Scientific  
/ tŏp′soil′ /

  1. The upper portion of a soil, usually dark colored and rich in organic material. It is more or less equivalent to the upper portion of an A horizon in an ABC soil.

topsoil Cultural  

  1. The thin, rich layer of soil where most nutrients for plants are found.

Discover More

The loss of topsoil through erosion is a major agricultural problem.

Most of the land-based biological activity of the Earth takes place here.

Etymology

Origin of topsoil

First recorded in 1860–65; top 1 + soil 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.

One method -- termed "moving mountains" -- was described in 2015 by China's top industry and technology regulator as "first cutting down trees, then clearing weeds and finally stripping away the topsoil, causing irreparable damage".

From Barron's • Dec. 21, 2025

In some cases, several feet of topsoil made potentially toxic by the fires must be scraped up and trucked away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

Those tests typically had been used to determine whether cleanup crews should remove more than the first 6 inches of topsoil.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2025

The dung beetle, which disperses seeds as it rolls its dung balls, fertilizing topsoil and enhancing biodiversity and engineering its environment, normally orients itself using the Milky Way and the moon.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2025

On the other side of the Mekong River, I see orange and gold pointed temple roofs and towers erected on muddy red topsoil.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

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.