salt

1 of 2

adjective (1)

1

a

: full of or containing salt : saline, salty sense 1a

salt tears

a salt solution

b

: being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is suggestive of seawater : salty sense 1b compare bitter entry 1 sense 1a, sour entry 1 sense 1, sweet entry 1 sense 1, umami entry 2

2

: cured or seasoned with salt : salted

salt cod

3

: overflowed with salt water

a salt pond

4

: sharp, pungent

saltness noun

salt

2 of 2

adjective (2)

obsolete

: lustful, lascivious

Synonyms of salt

Adjective (1)

• saline
• salty

Examples of salt in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

the oceans are salt water

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Why Baking Soda Works on Weeds The reason baking soda is effective in killing weeds is that one of its major ingredients is salt. —David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 17 May 2026

Star jasmine is moderately salt tolerant but not cold hardy. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 May 2026

The company accelerated output from its reserves in the pre-salt, a deep-water region that delivers roughly 80% of Brazil’s crude production. —Mariana Durao, Bloomberg, 6 Mar. 2026

Visitors are not allowed to drink anything underground because the floors — the walls, too — are salt. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (2)

by shortening & alteration from assaut, from Middle English, from Anglo-French en saut in rut

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

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

Adjective (2)

1598, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing salt

• bile salt
• common salt
• double salt
• Epsom salt
• garlic salt
• Glauber's salt
• grain of salt
• old salt
• pepper-and-salt
• pinch of salt
• Rochelle salt
• rock salt
• rub salt in/into someone's wounds
• rub salt in/into the wound
• salt-and-pepper
• salt away
• salt cedar
• salt dome
• salt flat
• salt gland
• salt grass
• salt lake
• salt lick
• salt marsh
• salt out
• salt pan
• salt pork
• salt water
• salt water taffy
• salt with
• sea salt
• table salt
• take (something) with a grain/pinch of salt
• the salt of the earth
• worth one's salt

Rhymes for salt

• alt
• fault
• gault
• halt
• malt
• sault
• vault
• walt
• asphalt
• assault
• basalt
• cobalt

Kids Definition

salt

1 of 3 noun

ˈsȯlt 

1

a

: a compound in the form of crystals that consists of sodium chloride and is used especially for seasoning or preserving food and in industry

called also common salt

b

: any of numerous compounds formed by replacement of part or all of the hydrogen of an acid by a metal or by a group acting like a metal

2

: an element that gives an appealing or enlivening quality to (as one's life)

3

: skepticism

—usually used in the phrases with a grain of salt and with a pinch of salt

4

: sailor

salt

2 of 3 verb

: to treat, preserve, flavor, or supply with salt

salt

3 of 3 adjective

1

a

: containing salt : saline, salty

salt water

b

: having or being one of the four basic taste sensations compare bitter sense 1, sour entry 1 sense 1, sweet entry 1 sense 1b

2

: prepared for use or seasoned with salt

salt pork

saltness noun

Medical Definition

salt

1 of 2 noun

ˈsȯlt 

1

a

: a crystalline compound NaCl that is the chloride of sodium, is abundant in nature, and is used especially to season or preserve food or in industry

called also common salt, sodium chloride

b

: a substance (as Glauber's salt) resembling common salt

c

: any of numerous compounds that result from replacement of part or all of the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a group acting like a metal : an ionic crystalline compound

2

salts plural

a

: a mineral or saline mixture (as Epsom salts) used as an aperient or cathartic

b

: smelling salts

salt

2 of 2 adjective

1

: saline, salty

2

: being or inducing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is suggestive of seawater compare bitter, sour entry 1, sweet entry 1