earth

1 of 2

noun

ˈərth 

1

: the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe

especially : cultivable soil

crops growing in good earth

2

: the sphere of mortal life as distinguished from spheres of spirit life compare heaven, hell

3

a

: areas of land as distinguished from sea and air

b

: the solid footing formed of soil : ground

felt the earth under their feet again

4

often Earth : the planet on which we live that is third in order from the sun

The earth is speeding around the sun at thousands of kilometers per hour …

—C. Donald Ahrens

… the new planetary system consists of two planets that are about three times larger than Earth …

—Tim Friend

see Planets Table

5

a

: the people of the planet Earth

b

: the mortal human body

c

: the pursuits, interests, and pleasures of earthly life as distinguished from spiritual concerns

6

: the lair of a burrowing animal

7

: an excessive amount of money

—used with the

… real suede, which costs the earth to clean.

—Joanne Winship

earthlike

ˈərth-ˌlīk 

adjective

earth

2 of 2

verb

earthed; earthing; earths

transitive verb

1

: to drive to hiding in the earth

2

: to draw soil about (plants)

—often used with up

3

chiefly British : ground sense 4

intransitive verb

of a hunted animal : to hide in the ground

Phrases

on earth

—used as an intensive

… to find out what on earth he was up to …

—Michael Holroyd

Synonyms of earth

Noun

• planet
• globe
• world

Examples of earth in a Sentence

Noun

The moisture will eventually fall to earth in the form of rain or snow.

We could feel the earth shake.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Even leaving these facts aside, neither the doctrinaire socialism nor militant Islam have ever improved any place on earth, and New York City will not be the first. —Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

The earth opened and swallowed my father, literally. —Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025

Verb

Step into nature, hike, perhaps try earthing (which is a practice of removing your shoes and walking on the earth to help rid you of stresses or clear your mind). —Krystyna Chávez, Marie Claire, 14 Jan. 2020

The outer cylinder is earthed while the inner one is not, creating a capacitor. —The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English erthe, from Old English eorthe; akin to Old High German erda earth, Greek era

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing earth

• (a) heaven on earth
• alkaline earth metal
• brown earth
• diatomaceous earth
• down-to-earth
• earth color
• earth mother
• earth science
• earth-shattering
• earth-sheltered
• earth station
• earth tone
• from the four corners of the earth
• fuller's earth
• hell on earth
• infusorial earth
• low earth orbit
• move heaven and earth
• on the face of the earth
• promise (someone) the stars/moon/earth/world
• rare earth
• rare earth element
• scorched-earth
• scum of the earth
• the ends of the earth
• the face of the earth
• the salt of the earth
• wipe (someone or something) off the face of the earth

Rhymes for earth

• berth
• birth
• dearth
• firth
• girth
• mirth
• worth
• afterbirth
• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth

Kids Definition

earth

noun

ˈərth

1

: the soft or granular material composing part of the surface of the globe

especially : soil that can be cultivated

2

: the place of mortal life as distinguished from heaven and hell

3

: land as distinguished from sea and air : ground

4

often capitalized : the planet on which we live see planet