dirt

noun

ˈdərt 

1

a

: excrement

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

Synonyms of dirt

• soil
• ground
• mud
• sand

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

From the first shovel of dirt to the final bolt on the basket, former Texas basketball coach Chris Beard watched Moody Center rise up in an empty lot and become one of the premier college basketball arenas in the country. —Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026

Prevent Blocked Drainage Holes One of Martha's favorite ways to repurpose broken terracotta pots is by placing them in the bottom of her planters to keep drainage holes clear of clumps of dirt or vegetation. —Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026

The driver was dumping dirt into a nearby construction zone and left the trailer up while merging onto the freeway. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

The approval on Thursday of the fill permit allows the moving of dirt only on the property located south of 61st Avenue, east of Colorado Street and north of 69th Avenue, said Galka, who chairs the plan commission. —Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English drit, from Old Norse; akin to Old English drītan to defecate

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing dirt

• dirt bike
• dirt cheap
• dirt farmer
• dirt floor
• dirt-poor
• dirt road
• hit/strike pay dirt
• hit the dirt
• in the dirt
• pay dirt
• treat (someone) like dirt

Rhymes for dirt

• blurt
• chert
• curt
• flirt
• girt
• hurt
• peart
• pert
• shirt
• skirt
• spurt
• squirt

Kids Definition

dirt

noun

ˈdərt 

1

: a filthy or soiling substance (as mud, dust, or grime)

2

: loose or packed earth : soil

a mound of dirt

3

a

: corruption sense 2

b

: indecent language : obscenity

4

: harmful gossip

stop spreading dirt about him