earth

1 of 2

noun

1
: the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe
especially : cultivable soil
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
4
often capitalized : the planet on which we live that is third in order from the sun 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 cleanJoanne Winship
earthlike 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 toMichael Holroyd

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
There were so many delightful moments, but just being able to unbuckle and float around and look back at our beautiful earth was pretty damn good. Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Apr. 2024 Why should this be the guy to run Macbeth to earth and not, say, one of Duncan’s much aggrieved sons? Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024 Residents could also shrink their own costs by replacing paved areas of their property with natural earth, which better soaks up stormwater and reduces runoff. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024 Creating a parallel between the human senses and nature’s, the exhibition considers three elements: earth, air, and water. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024 Marin’s performance comes down to earth after his fabled Cheech and Chong reefer-comedy act and helps outline the difficulty of social crossover. Armond White, National Review, 17 Apr. 2024 From the eggs, nymphs hatch Six to eight weeks after the eggs are laid, the nymphs hatch and fall to the earth. Solcyré Burga, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024 According to their creation story, Navajos were born out of the same earth and stone. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024 The payload includes a fairing or shield that is released in space and falls to earth, slowed by a parachute, but that cannot be recovered. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
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 Practitioner John Manning will discuss earthing on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Enfield Public Library, 104 Middle Road. Courant Community, 9 Jan. 2018 When the aerial is earthed, part of the carrier wave will be absorbed. The Economist, 13 Sep. 2017 But Truth in Advertising, a consumer advocacy group, cited earthing in a database of 50-some instances in which Goop promoted unsubstantiated products or claims. Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2017 Inside, the château is an equal marvel, perfectly restored and filled with contemporary art and, for balance, fragments of a meteorite that fell to earth 200 million years ago. Jon Maksik, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'earth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of earth was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near earth

Cite this Entry

“Earth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earth. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on earth

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!