clod

noun

ˈkläd How to pronounce clod (audio)
Definition of clodnext
1
as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person despite his imposing size, he's no simple clod

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chunk
a small uneven mass a clod of dirt stuck to the bottom of the bucket

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in soil
the loose surface material in which plants naturally grow faced with the task of burying his beloved wife in the cold, hard clod of the frontier

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of clod Maybe she is confused by this flat new geography of polished wood and granite with no trace of lumps or clods, where nothing is spongy. — María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026 The result was a dry product not unlike clod. — J.c. Reid, Houston Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2026 But that’s just one clod’s opinion. — New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026 Machines are shut down and shovels return, covering conduits with clods of soil. — Steven Searcy, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clod
  1. hulk
  2. chunk
  3. soil
  4. lump
  5. hunk
  6. dirt
  7. loser
  8. clump
Noun
  • In the film, Russell wants a hulk of a man but doesn’t care about money, while Monroe transparently is looking for a man who can fuel her desire for diamonds.
    — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
  • When Krem takes off in Kara’s spacecraft, a rusted hulk that’s like an interplanetary RV, and shoots her beloved dog Krypto with a lethal tranquilizer that will result in agonizing death in three days, Kara joins Ruthye on her revenge quest.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026
Definition of hulk
Noun
  • If Ryan follows through on his pledge, the New York Democrat could be out a sizable chunk of campaign funds.
    — Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026
  • These days, that can account for a major chunk of the stock's underperformance.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of chunk
Noun
  • The market drops considerably after the leading contenders, and the long shots include the United States, which is currently the 19th favorite to win it all at +8000 after its round-of-16 exit on home soil in 2026.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Massive amounts of rocks and soil roared down a slope and buried more than 10 residential buildings early Friday in Pengshui County on the outskirts of Chongqing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Definition of soil
Noun
  • Symptoms can include a lump in the armpit, dimpled skin on the chest, red or flaky skin near the nipple, pain or tenderness on the chest or armpit, clear or bloody nipple discharge and an inverted nipple, per the Cleveland Clinic.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Yet his go-to idea with the minutes running out against Argentina was to bring on Dan Burn — nothing against the player himself — to be a big lump in both penalty areas.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of lump
Noun
  • There may be a nice bunch of grapes, a couple slices of melon, and a hunk of juicy homegrown tomato.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 July 2026
  • His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of hunk
Noun
  • Unlike most, Pumphrey and four comrades received a cursory burial beneath a thin layer of dirt.
    — Allen Breed, Fortune, 17 July 2026
  • But some of the guys that Marcus was working with that were doing some of the dirt races at Bristol thought about having a dirt race at Wilkesboro, and there was this idea and plan to put dirt on it and have a race there.
    — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of dirt
Noun
  • Whoever wins this match will receive $29 million in prize money, compared to $27 million awarded to the loser.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Whoever comes out on top in the backup quarterback battle will obviously be safe on the roster, but there are a couple of possibilities for the loser in that competition.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Definition of loser
Noun
  • Each strand is like a beautiful clump of calligraphy all tangled up in itself, as captivating and lonely as any earthwork.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • Drive, the tan-and-white veteran with the vacuumcleaner nose, had caught a scent beneath a clump of oaks.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026
Definition of clump

Browse Nearby Words

clockwise
clod
cloddish
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Cite this Entry

“Clod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clod. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on clod

Nglish: Translation of clod for Spanish Speakers

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