1
: a slimy sticky mixture of solid material with a liquid and especially water
especially
: soft wet earth
2
: abusive and malicious remarks or charges
political campaigners slinging mud at each other
3
: anathema sense 1a
—usually used in the phrase one's name is mud
4
: a mixture of water, clay, and chemicals used in oil-well drilling and having various functions (such as lubrication and cooling of the bit and flushing of rock particles to the surface)
mudded; mudding
Synonyms
Examples of mud in a Sentence
Noun
He tracked mud into the house.
The car was stuck in the mud.
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
The whale may have been stuck in mud or a sandbar, but by early Sunday morning the corpse had dislodged and was floating freely with the tide.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
This compact water-resistant carrying case withstood some pretty harsh weather, but didn’t suffer any external wear and tear aside from a few grass stains and flecks of mud.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Blaze Bernstein had been missing a week when investigators found his body buried under a thin layer of mud at Borrego Park in Lake Forest in January 2018, with 19 stab wounds to his neck.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The high-elevation north-facing trails were still sheets of ice and the south-facing trails were shoe-sucking mud.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
Investigators searched the park for a week, but Bernstein’s body was not discovered until heavy rains washed away just enough mud to expose him.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
That would be huge for the guys in mud and mustard.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The area is named for the bighorn sheep that come down from the mountainside to lick mud for nutrients.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Laura Holt, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
Renee agreed, and then added some motherly intuition about the outdoorsy teen who loves to fish and to go mudding with his friends.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
Runners were greeted with rain thick enough to obscure views, mud quick to soak through shoes and socks, and the red-and-golden hints in the alpine underbrush that fall is, in fact, nearly here.
—Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2023
Navigating technical terrain that can change from slick rock to loose dirt to mud over the course of a run requires a sense of groundedness in your feet, and the Speedgoat 5 delivers on that with a new-and-improved outsole that uses Vibram® Megagrip and Traction Lug technology for tacky traction.
—Outside Online, 25 Mar. 2022
Across from Eichhorn’s house, neighbors on lower ground saw water up to their car door handles, mud several feet deep and parts of the hillside collapsing onto the street.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023
The ground, not yet frozen, has turned to mud, sticking to uniforms and weapons and ensnaring vehicles, military, and civilian alike.
—Matthew Mpoke Bigg, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2022
The ground, not yet frozen, has turned to mud, sticking to uniforms and weapons and ensnaring vehicles, military and civilian alike.
—Matthew Mpoke Bigg, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2022
Before the weather in Ukraine turns bitterly cold, the challenge for both sides is fall rain that turns fields and many roads to mud.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022
Noun
There’s also a sunny terrace with picture-perfect mountain and lake views
Elsewhere are a home office, gym, media room, mud/dog room, three-car garage with a dog wash, and a small barn.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
The whale may have been stuck in mud or a sandbar, but by early Sunday morning the corpse had dislodged and was floating freely with the tide.
—Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
This compact water-resistant carrying case withstood some pretty harsh weather, but didn’t suffer any external wear and tear aside from a few grass stains and flecks of mud.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Blaze Bernstein had been missing a week when investigators found his body buried under a thin layer of mud at Borrego Park in Lake Forest in January 2018, with 19 stab wounds to his neck.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The high-elevation north-facing trails were still sheets of ice and the south-facing trails were shoe-sucking mud.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
Investigators searched the park for a week, but Bernstein’s body was not discovered until heavy rains washed away just enough mud to expose him.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
That would be huge for the guys in mud and mustard.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The area is named for the bighorn sheep that come down from the mountainside to lick mud for nutrients.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
Integrated gaiters give above-ankle protection to keep slushy snow and mud out while the outer Gore-tex fabric makes the shoe waterproof and windproof, yet breathable.
—Laura Holt, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
Renee agreed, and then added some motherly intuition about the outdoorsy teen who loves to fish and to go mudding with his friends.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
Runners were greeted with rain thick enough to obscure views, mud quick to soak through shoes and socks, and the red-and-golden hints in the alpine underbrush that fall is, in fact, nearly here.
—Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Aug. 2023
Navigating technical terrain that can change from slick rock to loose dirt to mud over the course of a run requires a sense of groundedness in your feet, and the Speedgoat 5 delivers on that with a new-and-improved outsole that uses Vibram® Megagrip and Traction Lug technology for tacky traction.
—Outside Online, 25 Mar. 2022
Across from Eichhorn’s house, neighbors on lower ground saw water up to their car door handles, mud several feet deep and parts of the hillside collapsing onto the street.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2023
The ground, not yet frozen, has turned to mud, sticking to uniforms and weapons and ensnaring vehicles, military, and civilian alike.
—Matthew Mpoke Bigg, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2022
The ground, not yet frozen, has turned to mud, sticking to uniforms and weapons and ensnaring vehicles, military and civilian alike.
—Matthew Mpoke Bigg, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2022
Before the weather in Ukraine turns bitterly cold, the challenge for both sides is fall rain that turns fields and many roads to mud.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mud.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mud
Cite this Entry
“Mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mud. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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