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
Lulu Ramadan, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2023
An invasive New Zealand mud snail has been discovered in Lake Tahoe.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
The ground was torn up and turned to mud, which indicated a strong possibility of a fight.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 21 Sep. 2023
Back at al-Fanar street, a man calls for help to dig out the bodies of four children from under the mud.
—Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
Belichick said that no one wants to play in the mud or with inconsistent field conditions.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
Someone had daubed the date in mud with their finger; an attempt to mark a moment in time.
—Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Last year, a month of rain leading up to the festival turned access roads into mud pits, exacerbating the already difficult logistics of the site’s remote forest location.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2023
Tarek’s bare feet are covered in mud from walking through the side streets helping neighbors go through the wreckage of their homes.
—Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
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
The instructions for how to mud a baseball are Talmudic.
—New York Times, 26 July 2022
As temperatures fall, waves of chilling rain follow, dissolving roads and fields, turning them to mud that mires men and equipment.
—Matthew Luxmoore, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2022
Elephants use their trunks to throw dirt and mud onto their bodies, providing protection from the sun and from bugs.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Oct. 2022
See More
Noun
Even direct contact with river mud is a risk, the state health department warns.
—Lulu Ramadan, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2023
An invasive New Zealand mud snail has been discovered in Lake Tahoe.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2023
The ground was torn up and turned to mud, which indicated a strong possibility of a fight.
—Bjorn Dihle, Outdoor Life, 21 Sep. 2023
Back at al-Fanar street, a man calls for help to dig out the bodies of four children from under the mud.
—Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
Belichick said that no one wants to play in the mud or with inconsistent field conditions.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
Someone had daubed the date in mud with their finger; an attempt to mark a moment in time.
—Richard Fisher, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Last year, a month of rain leading up to the festival turned access roads into mud pits, exacerbating the already difficult logistics of the site’s remote forest location.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2023
Tarek’s bare feet are covered in mud from walking through the side streets helping neighbors go through the wreckage of their homes.
—Sarah El Sirgany, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
Verb
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
The instructions for how to mud a baseball are Talmudic.
—New York Times, 26 July 2022
As temperatures fall, waves of chilling rain follow, dissolving roads and fields, turning them to mud that mires men and equipment.
—Matthew Luxmoore, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2022
Elephants use their trunks to throw dirt and mud onto their bodies, providing protection from the sun and from bugs.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Oct. 2022
See More
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.
Word History
Phrases Containing mud
Dictionary Entries Near mud
Cite this Entry
“Mud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mud. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
mud
nounˈməd
: soft wet earth
More from Merriam-Webster on mud
Nglish: Translation of mud for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mud for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mud
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