: a substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life
Tomatoes contain a lot of nutrients, among them vitamins C and B-complex and the minerals iron and potassium.—
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Mayo Clinic Health LetterMost frugivores do not depend exclusively on fruits, because fruits tend to be deficient in certain nutrients such as protein, and because they are only seasonally available.—Robert Lee Smith
Robert Lee SmithSandy soils need organic amendments to help them retain nutrients and water, which otherwise leach out quickly.—Sunset
SunsetSynonyms
Examples of nutrient in a Sentence
Adjective
a breakfast drink enriched with nutrient proteins and vitamins
Noun
Fruits and vegetables have important nutrients.
The soil is low in nutrients.
You need more nutrients in your diet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Narcisa Pricope, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025
Sustainable farming practices, such as planting cover crops or reducing fertilizer use, will also prevent nutrient runoff from feeding the algal blooms, as would reducing the amount of land that’s covered in concrete and installing more green infrastructure that absorbs rainwater.
—Diana Kruzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
To help the roots absorb the nutrients, apply when the soil is moist after winter and spring rains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nutrient 
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Adjective
Microbial communities, essential for nutrient cycling and plant health, decline.
—Narcisa Pricope, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2025
Sustainable farming practices, such as planting cover crops or reducing fertilizer use, will also prevent nutrient runoff from feeding the algal blooms, as would reducing the amount of land that’s covered in concrete and installing more green infrastructure that absorbs rainwater.
—Diana Kruzman, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
These synapses are supported by 'rail tracks' that enable the flow of essential nutrients and information, and they're called microtubules.
—New Atlas, 15 Feb. 2025
To help the roots absorb the nutrients, apply when the soil is moist after winter and spring rains.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nutrient
Dictionary Entries Near nutrient
Cite this Entry
“Nutrient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutrient. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt 
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutrient substance or ingredient
Medical Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutritive substance or ingredient
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