US slang
: a filthy or soiling substance (such as mud, dust, or grime) : dirt
… what's a little schmutz to a New Yorker? That's why we have immune systems.—
Discover
DiscoverWhat to watch while wiping some schmutz off your million dollar face with a hundred dollar bill in the presence of an attractive young lady …—Deadspin
Deadspin… point out the schmutz on a classmate's shirt.—Jonathan Marks
Jonathan Marks
Examples of schmutz in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The brown schmutz was once protein-rich tissue.
—National Geographic, 15 Sep. 2020
The other is that the parasite’s egg is unbelievably hardy and damn near resistant to nearly all of our arsenals against eradicating grime, schmutz and filth.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2012
But almost every home needs one to pick up stray pieces of schmutz.
—Wired, 27 Nov. 2021
Seriously Sometimes even presidents get some schmutz on their chin.
—New York Times, 31 July 2021
Give all the citrus a good scrub under cold water to get any schmutz off, and then use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of the zest from that grapefruit, all those limes, and three of the lemons.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 30 June 2021
For truly tough stuff—oven racks, grill grates, stovetops, the inside of your oven—get yourself some #2 steel wool, which will coarsely cut through thick layers of scuzzy schmutz like an industrial street sweeper.
—Carla Lalli Music, Bon Appétit, 24 Mar. 2020
After the schmutz is gone, a thorough spritzing with disinfectant can destroy any infectious stragglers.
—Katherine J. Wu, Popular Science, 16 Mar. 2020
After observing the star on February 14, the researchers found the star ran just as hot as usual, leaving—by process of elimination—the possibility of stellar schmutz, produced by Betelgeuse itself.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2020
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National Geographic, 15 Sep. 2020
The other is that the parasite’s egg is unbelievably hardy and damn near resistant to nearly all of our arsenals against eradicating grime, schmutz and filth.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2012
But almost every home needs one to pick up stray pieces of schmutz.
—Wired, 27 Nov. 2021
Seriously Sometimes even presidents get some schmutz on their chin.
—New York Times, 31 July 2021
Give all the citrus a good scrub under cold water to get any schmutz off, and then use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of the zest from that grapefruit, all those limes, and three of the lemons.
—Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, 30 June 2021
For truly tough stuff—oven racks, grill grates, stovetops, the inside of your oven—get yourself some #2 steel wool, which will coarsely cut through thick layers of scuzzy schmutz like an industrial street sweeper.
—Carla Lalli Music, Bon Appétit, 24 Mar. 2020
After the schmutz is gone, a thorough spritzing with disinfectant can destroy any infectious stragglers.
—Katherine J. Wu, Popular Science, 16 Mar. 2020
After observing the star on February 14, the researchers found the star ran just as hot as usual, leaving—by process of elimination—the possibility of stellar schmutz, produced by Betelgeuse itself.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'schmutz.' 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
Yiddish shmuts & German Schmutz, from Middle High German smutzen to soil, damage
First Known Use
1838, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near schmutz
Cite this Entry
“Schmutz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmutz. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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