plural peats
1
a
: a dark brown fibrous material that is formed primarily by the partial decomposition of organic matter and especially plants (such as sphagnum moss) in wet, oxygen-deficient areas (such as bogs or swamps) and that is harvested especially for use as a fuel for heating or cooking or as a soil amendment
Some boreal forests contain peat, which can slow fire—if it's wet. But if that peat is dry, it can burn underground and spread fires even farther.—
Caroline Mimbs Nyce
Caroline Mimbs NyceBehind the … houses was the bog: an immense, bronze-hued ocean of deep peat, stretching into the horizon.—Tomas Weber
—sometimes used before another nounTomas WeberNow, the continuing problems of sea rise, water pollution, salt-water intrusion and the erosion of peat soil that make up much of the marshland threaten to compound the historic damage from development.—The Miami Herald
The Miami HeraldAs a peat bog, it helps to play a vital role in tackling climate change by locking away carbon as well as helping to regulate flood flows for the local community.—Jo Barnes
Jo Barnes
b
: peat moss
Dig a hole as deep as the plant's rootball and five times as wide. Amend the backfill soil with 50 percent peat …—Jim McCausland
Jim McCausland2
Scotland
: a section or piece of dried peat for use as fuel : turf sense 4b
While not uncommon these days for peats to be cut by machine there are still many who cut in the traditional way, and lines of peat banks both abandoned and still in use can be seen in landscapes wherever peat is cut.—Christine Smith
Christine Smith
peaty
adjective
Peaty soils contain about 20-25% of organic matter whereas there is about 50-90% in true peats.
—J. A. R. Lockhart and A. J. L. Wiseman
J. A. R. Lockhart and A. J. L. Wiseman
: a bold lively woman
Examples of peat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Liudas Dapkus and Lolita C. Baldor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Their armored vehicle was found the following day submerged in a peat bog near the city.
—Ivana Saric, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
On Monday, the 63-ton vehicle was removed from a peat bog after a six-day recovery effort that involved hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces, officials added.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Efforts were underway to recover the submerged vehicle of four U.S. Army soldiers from the depths of a peat bog in Lithuania as crews continued to search for the missing servicemembers on Thursday.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
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Noun
The bodies of the three soldiers were recovered after a massive six-day effort by U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities to dig the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė.
—Liudas Dapkus and Lolita C. Baldor, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Their armored vehicle was found the following day submerged in a peat bog near the city.
—Ivana Saric, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025
On Monday, the 63-ton vehicle was removed from a peat bog after a six-day recovery effort that involved hundreds of service members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Polish Armed Forces, officials added.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Listen to this article Efforts were underway to recover the submerged vehicle of four U.S. Army soldiers from the depths of a peat bog in Lithuania as crews continued to search for the missing servicemembers on Thursday.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for peat
Cite this Entry
“Peat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peat. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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