compost
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahmpohstSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑmpoʊst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
uk
A medium in which one can cultivate plants.
verb
To produce compost, let organic matter decay into fertilizer.
Convert to compost
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
Used this way, compost is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use compost
- “We added fresh compost to the garden to help the vegetables grow better.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A heap of manure and vegetation and other organic residues that are decaying to become compost.
A heap of manure and vegetation and other organic residues that are decaying to become compost.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.