dirt

noun

ˈdərt How to pronounce dirt (audio)
Definition of dirtnext
1
as in soil
the loose surface material in which plants naturally grow dig into the dirt to a depth of about three inches

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2
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

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3
as in muck
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something there's some dirt on your shoes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grossness
the quality or state of being obscene appalled by the dirt in the author's novels

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal tread carefully, as there's cow dirt all over the pasture

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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 dirt The song came from his feelings about taking action at ground level, literally digging his fingers into the dirt. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026 John may have grown up hating Hal, and Hal may have treated John like dirt during their brief time together. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2026 This, along with never sleeping in your outdoor clothes, can help cut down on body oil, sweat, dirt, pollen, or bacteria from transferring from your clothes to your bedsheets. — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026 The victim was found barefoot and covered in dirt, The Times reported. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dirt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt
  1. soil
  2. land
  3. muck
  4. grossness
  5. dung
  6. ground
  7. sewage
  8. vulgarity
Noun
  • Introduced crawling through the Trask family’s field, her black blood spattering their rich soil like a human pesticide, Cathy personifies the series’ potent blend of dread and beauty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • During dry periods, soil-dwelling bacteria produce a compound called geosmin that deters insects such as fruit flies.
    — Gregory Wakeman, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of soil
Noun
  • Soon, crew who had been traveling on the plane stepped in to stabilize it, issuing a mayday call and seeking a place to land.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Then, the film cuts to show our protagonist’s hand hovering in front of a slide projector displaying a plot of cheap land in South Carolina where nuclear weapons were developed during the Cold War.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of land
Noun
  • As feminists fought patriarchy’s attempt to render women vulnerable socially and leave us dependent on men for money and more, the all-too-human inevitability of vulnerability and dependence got lost in the muck.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The film could have only benefited from narrowing its scope away from all the government muck, an attempt to flesh out a mythology for its villains that are scarier simply as faceless, mysterious weapons of mass destruction.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of muck
Noun
  • But Paddy’s isn’t Sudz, and the Gang’s efforts to soft-pedal their antics to be more in line with those mainstream bars devolved into typical Sunny-style hostility and off-putting grossness.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • All your Dad has to do is fill it and drink—the microfilter membrane will do the rest by removing chlorine odors, dirt, bacteria, and any other grossness floating around in there.
    — Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
Definition of grossness
Noun
  • During the first re-inspection, the inspector saw about 10 pieces of rodent dung under the air-conditioning unit, seven in the hallway by the back door and three under storage by the hallway bathroom.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In southern India, for example, villagers are allowing – and even paying – herders to use their land in exchange for dung, the natural fertilizer that farmers need to produce higher-value organic crops.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dung
Noun
  • Related Articles Researchers subsequently examined aerial photographs of the area and began conducting noninvasive magnetic and ground-penetrating radar surveys.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Weinberg wants to be able to use some of the documents in their motion to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of ground
Noun
  • Multiple cities in Broward County reported rain overwhelming their sewage systems.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 23, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Newsom also issued separate emergency proclamations Monday for earlier storm damage in Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Mendocino and Santa Barbara counties, along with a major sewage spill in Lake County.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sewage
Noun
  • The diaries—particularly in Julian Sachs’s unexpurgated version, which captures Pavese’s alternating earnestness, archness, and pungent vulgarity—pose something of a problem.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Community outrage about the image, along with online posts calling the mayor a host of vulgarities, spilled into a recent council meeting and is inflaming political divisions within College Park.
    — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of vulgarity

Phrases Containing dirt

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dirks
dirt
dirtbag
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Cite this Entry

“Dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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