as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal
polite people do not discuss ordure in public
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 ordure
The script was based on the 1979 French play and subsequent 1982 film Le père Noël est une ordure (Santa Claus Is a Stinker).
—
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2024
On the face of it, packing the ordure of millions into open-air mounds is a terrible approach to a more livable planet, particularly in a part of the world where scavengers don’t comb through them for every salable scrap.
—Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022
Even a seemingly natural savannah, the African grasslands in the Mara-Serengeti, has benefited from the healing powers of animal ordure, produced by the livestock of human herders thousands of years ago.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2018
My group first watched a video, which explained that the plant’s effluent would be released into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a thirty-mile-long waterway built in the late nineteenth century to rid the city of its ordure.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New York Review of Books, 9 Feb. 2022
Poking at the ordure with a stick, Cipollone pointed out the beech mast and berries on which the bear had fed.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
President Nicolás Manuro: Creating ordure out of chaos.
—Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2019
In gardens, the scent of frangipani carries on the damp breeze; in cities, that unmistakably Indian blend of ordure, asphalt and spice.
—The Economist, 27 June 2019
At the bottom of the tube sat a half-inch of what looked like frozen mud, but was, in fact, orca ordure.
—Kate Brooks, Smithsonian, 30 Sep. 2017
Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2024
On the face of it, packing the ordure of millions into open-air mounds is a terrible approach to a more livable planet, particularly in a part of the world where scavengers don’t comb through them for every salable scrap.
—Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022
Even a seemingly natural savannah, the African grasslands in the Mara-Serengeti, has benefited from the healing powers of animal ordure, produced by the livestock of human herders thousands of years ago.
—Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2018
My group first watched a video, which explained that the plant’s effluent would be released into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a thirty-mile-long waterway built in the late nineteenth century to rid the city of its ordure.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New York Review of Books, 9 Feb. 2022
Poking at the ordure with a stick, Cipollone pointed out the beech mast and berries on which the bear had fed.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
President Nicolás Manuro: Creating ordure out of chaos.
—Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2019
In gardens, the scent of frangipani carries on the damp breeze; in cities, that unmistakably Indian blend of ordure, asphalt and spice.
—The Economist, 27 June 2019
At the bottom of the tube sat a half-inch of what looked like frozen mud, but was, in fact, orca ordure.
—Kate Brooks, Smithsonian, 30 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ordure
Noun
-
Elephants and other big beasts push over trees, trample vegetation underfoot, eat vast amounts of greenery and transport seeds in their dung, disassembling vegetation while unintentionally planting the beginnings of new habitats.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
-
Access to clean cooking equipment in sub-Saharan Africa continues to lag behind other regions, with four in five people using wood, charcoal, or dung as fuel over open fires or using basic stoves, according to an International Energy Agency report.—
Paige Bruton,
semafor.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Surfactants are molecules with hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) ends, which interact with water and soil particles, aiding water infiltration and distribution in soil.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Yet Tebas’ desire to play games on American soil is exactly the kind of endeavor that makes two-club domination harder to escape.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In high-traffic rooms or areas, sweep or vacuum daily to remove dirt and debris from the floor's surface to prevent buildup.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Scrub the vegetables under running water to remove any dirt or bacteria.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ordure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ordure. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share