sludge

noun

1
: mud, mire
especially : a muddy deposit (as on a riverbed) : ooze
2
: a muddy or slushy mass, deposit, or sediment: such as
a
: precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes
b
: muddy sediment in a steam boiler
c
: a precipitate or settling (such as a mixture of impurities and acid) from a mineral oil
3
sludgy adjective

Examples of sludge in a Sentence

after a day of heavy rain, the fairgrounds had turned into pure sludge I can't bring myself to read that sludge.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Genki Ala Wai Project | 👨‍👨‍👧‍💡🌱 Built in 1928, Honolulu’s Ala Wai Canal has become one of Hawaiʻi’s most polluted waterways, accumulating debris and sludge that releases toxic compounds into the water. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2024 The most party-hearty horror movie of a party-hearty decade, The Return of the Living Dead will bring tons of madcap energy — and toxic sludge — to your movie night. Katie Rife, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024 Earlier this year, the Missouri Legislature passed laws prohibiting the operation of three sludge lagoons in Newton, McDonald and Randolph counties. Randal Seyler, arkansasonline.com, 19 Oct. 2024 Apart from album releases and tours, the rock supergroup Tomahawk and the NOLA sludge outfit Acid Bath are slated to be making reunions at Sick New World 2025. Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sludge 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slugge, perhaps alteration of slicche mud, slush; akin to Old High German slīh mire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sludge was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near sludge

Cite this Entry

“Sludge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sludge. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sludge

noun
1
: mud, mire
2
: a muddy or slushy mass
especially : solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes
sludgy adjective

Medical Definition

sludge

1 of 2 noun
: a semisolid precipitated mass or deposit
biliary sludge
especially : sludged blood

sludge

2 of 2 intransitive verb
sludged; sludging
: to form sludge
positions that cause blood to sludgeL. K. Altman

More from Merriam-Webster on sludge

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