desert soil
noun
: a soil that develops under sparse shrub vegetation in warm to cool arid climates with a light-colored surface soil usually underlain by calcareous material and a hardpan layer
Examples of desert soil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The mothers work dutifully, spending no more than a few minutes at each spot, hacking away at the hard desert soil.
—
Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Deep beneath Utah’s desert soil, an oil drill bored through the Earth at a blistering pace earlier this spring.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2025
While some of the largest installations do take 500 or more acres of desert soil, a more typical size in Arizona is about 262 acres, according to LandGate, a data provider for renewables projects.
—Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024
The cyanobacteria form sticky filaments that act like glue in sandy desert soil, creating a clumpy, crusty surface where fungi and other bacteria take hold.
—Jude Coleman, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024
Globe According to the city's website, there's a local legend about the origin of the name that, once more, revolves around precious metals hiding beneath the desert soil.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 8 Aug. 2024
After a fire, cheatgrass sprouts quickly, hoarding the small amount of water available in the desert soil and preventing slower-growing native plants from getting the hydration needed to sprout.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 May 2024
The parched desert soil couldn’t absorb the excessive rainfall fast enough, which triggered flash flooding.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
Arizona’s highways funnel rainfall into ditches and thus soften desert soils for pocket gophers, whose tunnels parallel the shoulder like subway lines.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
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Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Deep beneath Utah’s desert soil, an oil drill bored through the Earth at a blistering pace earlier this spring.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2025
While some of the largest installations do take 500 or more acres of desert soil, a more typical size in Arizona is about 262 acres, according to LandGate, a data provider for renewables projects.
—Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024
The cyanobacteria form sticky filaments that act like glue in sandy desert soil, creating a clumpy, crusty surface where fungi and other bacteria take hold.
—Jude Coleman, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024
Globe According to the city's website, there's a local legend about the origin of the name that, once more, revolves around precious metals hiding beneath the desert soil.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 8 Aug. 2024
After a fire, cheatgrass sprouts quickly, hoarding the small amount of water available in the desert soil and preventing slower-growing native plants from getting the hydration needed to sprout.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 May 2024
The parched desert soil couldn’t absorb the excessive rainfall fast enough, which triggered flash flooding.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
Arizona’s highways funnel rainfall into ditches and thus soften desert soils for pocket gophers, whose tunnels parallel the shoulder like subway lines.
—Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Desert soil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desert%20soil. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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