sod

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: turf sense 1
also : the grass- and forb-covered surface of the ground
2
: one's native land

sod

2 of 4

verb (1)

sodded; sodding

transitive verb

: to cover with sod or turfs

sod

3 of 4

noun (2)

chiefly British
: bugger
if I ever find the sod I'll kill himJohn Le Carré

sod

4 of 4

verb (2)

sodded; sodding; sods

transitive verb

chiefly British

Examples of sod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Race-goers this year might have noticed a visual contrast — an eye-popping green turf course with fresh sod alongside a dull-colored synthetic Tapeta surface under construction that will be used for training. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2023 Much of that valuable sod has been gobbled up through the years, and all that’s left of the legacy is this spread that was first purchased by the Deckers in 1936 and has remained within the same family for nine decades since. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024 Shifting to football involves placing and maintaining sod, manning the oversized forklift that can lift 6,000 pounds to move and replace 11 sections of seating along the first-base line and locking down paint schemes. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Dec. 2023 The 49ers could either use the fields as scheduled, have new firmer sod brought in that would be ready this week, or negotiate with the NFL to also use the Raiders facility, which is big enough for both teams to use. Check back for more on this breaking story . . . Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2024 Hundreds of students and community activists had another idea, dragging sod, trees and flowers to the lot and proclaiming it People’s Park. Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 Even turf can be put on drip with grid systems installed under the sod. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The grass is grown in Palm Desert and the sod is transported to Pasadena. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2024 Their songs had all the contradictions of the Irish diaspora — the yearning for the old sod vs. the desperate urge to break free. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2023
Verb
The protesters want the city to clean up the cemetery, put up gravemarkers and re-sod the area that workers destroyed with the dirt piles. Ernie Suggs, ajc, 26 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sod.' 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 (1)

Middle English, from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German sode; akin to Old Frisian sātha sod

Noun (2)

short for sodomite

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1653, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1818, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1904, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near sod

Cite this Entry

“Sod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sod. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sod

1 of 2 noun
1
b
: the grass-covered and herb-covered surface of the ground
2
: one's native land

sod

2 of 2 verb
sodded; sodding
: to cover with sod or turfs

Medical Definition

SOD

abbreviation
superoxide dismutase

More from Merriam-Webster on sod

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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