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as in land
the solid part of our planet's surface as distinguished from the sea and air at the first sound of gunfire we hit the dirt

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal tread carefully, as there's cow dirt all over the pasture

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 dirt Shoppers love it for sports travel, summer camp, and any sort of active family travel, as it's made from sturdy, tear-resistant material that doesn't show dirt easily. Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025 All of that dirt wouldn’t entirely dampen the sound of your screaming, so there’s always the chance some benevolent gravedigger could save you. Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025 Several areas in the restaurant have old food debris, dust and dirt, including areas under the glass refrigerator, the table, the three-compartment sink, washer machine and handwashing sinks. Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025 The animals' fur and expressions, even down to the dirt on Wilbur's hooves, looks real. Devonne Goode, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dirt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt
Noun
  • Take hydrangeas, a happy flower millions of years old that grows well in soil but wilts quickly when cut.
    Grace Edquist, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Gently lift it from the ground, and remove any loose soil from the roots as well as dead leaves or stems.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The name refers to the practice of growing three crops—beans, squash or pumpkin, and maize—together in a single section of land, a technique also known as intercropping or interplanting.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 14 Oct. 2025
  • In Colorado, the company has made access possible to 162 acres of state trust land and nearly a mile of the Arkansas River near Cotopaxi, southeast of Salida.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And yet Payton’s offense, which has often asked Nix to do too much in long-down situations, didn’t ask him to do much as both teams rolled in the muck Sunday.
    Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
  • When work is happening, enough sediment is stirred up that water can run discolored for about 24 hours after the process has been completed until the muck all settles out.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.
    Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.
    Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • And like the wildebeest, bison dung packs a nutritional punch when deposited across the landscape.
    Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Decades before Colorado’s best singers, dancers and actors graced the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver, workers pushed brooms across the stage to clean up elephant dung, rodeo sawdust, and blood spatters from boxing matches.
    John Wenzel, Denver Post, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • While driving - Stick to the middle lanes and stay on elevated ground.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
  • These tours showcase a few of New Orleans’ 42 cemeteries, where the dead are famously laid to rest above ground.
    Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Civilian infrastructure—roads, sewage, electricity, and municipal services—has been destroyed.
    Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • But a sewage problem in the building prompted him to relocate, Anderson said.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Songs marked explicit mean their lyrics include swear words or other vulgarities.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The presence of these planes flying close to our Caribbean Sea is a vulgarity, a provocation, a threat to the security of the nation.
    John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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