1
a
b
: a filthy or soiling substance (such as mud, dust, or grime)
c
archaic
: something worthless
d
: a contemptible person
treated me like dirt
2
: loose or packed soil or sand : earth
a mound of dirt
a dirt road
3
a
: an abject or filthy state : squalor
living in dirt
b
: corruption, chicanery
vowed to clean up the dirt in the city government
c
: licentiousness of language or theme
d
: scandalous or malicious gossip
spreading dirt about his ex-wife
e
: embarrassing or incriminating information
trying to dig up dirt on her political rivals
Examples of dirt in a Sentence
Pack dirt loosely around the base of the plant.
You've got some dirt on your face.
Their shoes were covered with dirt.
No amount of cleaning will get rid of all this dirt.
Recent Examples on the Web
This tells us it's certified to be both dustproof (complete protection against sand, dirt, and dust) and waterproof to a depth of 3 feet for up to 30 minutes.
—
PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
The larger one, with more than 300,000 cubic yards of dirt, has yet to be cleared, leaving engineers uncertain of the condition of the road.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
While there may be a certain appeal in wanting to attain effortlessly luscious, healthy hair by simply extending the number of days between shampoos with dry shampoo, for example, this might inadvertently cause excess oil and dirt to build up on your scalp.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Rinsing rice could help wash away undesirable materials, Sass said, including any leftover debris that could travel from farm to table, such as dirt or small pebbles.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The land held little more than trees, dirt and debris in recent years.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
From the airstrip, a driver will ferry you over dirt and gravel roads to Angama Safari Camp, a mobile setup that’s often positioned right on the banks of the Mara River.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024
Many additional roads have been closed with iron barriers or simply blocked with massive mounds of dirt and gravel.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
The artist Kiyan Williams was referring to federal architecture — specifically the northern facade of the White House, which reappears, redesigned in dirt and tilted 15 degrees off its axis, on a roof terrace at this year’s Whitney Biennial.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
PCMAG, 6 Apr. 2024
The larger one, with more than 300,000 cubic yards of dirt, has yet to be cleared, leaving engineers uncertain of the condition of the road.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
While there may be a certain appeal in wanting to attain effortlessly luscious, healthy hair by simply extending the number of days between shampoos with dry shampoo, for example, this might inadvertently cause excess oil and dirt to build up on your scalp.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Rinsing rice could help wash away undesirable materials, Sass said, including any leftover debris that could travel from farm to table, such as dirt or small pebbles.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The land held little more than trees, dirt and debris in recent years.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2024
From the airstrip, a driver will ferry you over dirt and gravel roads to Angama Safari Camp, a mobile setup that’s often positioned right on the banks of the Mara River.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2024
Many additional roads have been closed with iron barriers or simply blocked with massive mounds of dirt and gravel.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
The artist Kiyan Williams was referring to federal architecture — specifically the northern facade of the White House, which reappears, redesigned in dirt and tilted 15 degrees off its axis, on a roof terrace at this year’s Whitney Biennial.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dirt. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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