filth

noun

1
: foul or putrid matter
especially : loathsome dirt or refuse
2
a
: moral corruption or defilement
b
: something that tends to corrupt or defile

Examples of filth in a Sentence

He emerged from the cellar covered in filth. the filth of the slaughterhouse living in filth and squalor
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But Wachter had a hunch that a great painting lay beneath the filth. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025 Residents of that Wilmington street petitioned and pleaded and then resorted to blocking off the street briefly to the trucks that shook the ground and spewed the filth through their neighborhood. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025 For more of Cher reading authority figures for filth, here's a great scene opposite Andrew Robinson, another in a string of doctors giving her and Rocky the runaround. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 20 May 2025 The water on the floor was gritty and black, and the man moved the filth around. Amitava Kumar, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for filth

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English fȳlth, from fūl foul

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of filth was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Filth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/filth. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

filth

noun
1
: disgusting dirt or waste
2
: something that tends to disgust, offend, or dirty

More from Merriam-Webster on filth

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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