in the dirt
idiom
baseball, of a pitch
: having hit the ground near home plate before reaching the catcher
He swung and missed at a curveball in the dirt.
Examples of in the dirt in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Wilyer Abreu almost bit on a Thomas Harrington splitter in the dirt, but managed to check his swing at the last second.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
That lineup did a great job of preparing, did a great job of laying off stuff in the dirt.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The contestants in the dirt just ended up sleeping through most of it.
—Jim Halterman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Stuck in the dirt, the hexagonal silver node looked like a device an alien could have planted.
—Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for in the dirt
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Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
That lineup did a great job of preparing, did a great job of laying off stuff in the dirt.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The contestants in the dirt just ended up sleeping through most of it.
—Jim Halterman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Stuck in the dirt, the hexagonal silver node looked like a device an alien could have planted.
—Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for in the dirt
Cite this Entry
“In the dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20dirt. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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