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dirt

SayDURT/dɝt/UK/dɜːt/

8 meanings of dirt

Practice

  1. 1
    nounUSuncountable
    Loose brown material that covers the ground, where plants grow.

    Like the brown ground in a garden where seeds grow.

    The kids tracked dirt all over the kitchen floor.

    Farmers turn the dirt before planting seeds in spring.

    Similarsoil, earth

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    Mud, grime, or other stuff that makes something look unclean.

    Like the muddy marks shoes leave on a clean floor.

    You've got some dirt on your shirt collar.

    She scrubbed the dirt off the windows until they shone.

    Similarfilth

  3. 3
    noununcountable
    Secret bad facts or stories about someone.

    Like secrets someone could use to make a person look bad.

    Reporters dug up plenty of dirt on the mayor.

    She refused to share any dirt about her old boss.

    Similargossip

    Note
  4. 4
    nounfigurativelyuncountable
    Mean, low behavior that is nasty and shameful.

    Like the ugly, mean side a person hides under good manners.

    There was a streak of dirt in the way he treated his friends.

    Behind the smiles lay all the dirt of greed and betrayal.

    Similarfilth, sleaze, corruption, sordidness, baseness

    Oppositevirtue, decency

    Note
  5. 5
    noununcountable
    Small brown spots on the skin, brought out by the sun.

    Like little spots the sun paints on the skin.

    The redhead's face was dusted with dirt that no washing could remove.

    Summer sun brought out the dirt across his cheeks and nose.

    Similarfreckles

    Note
  6. 6
    noununcountable
    In gold mining, the earth and gravel dug up before it is washed.

    Like sand you wash in a pan to find shiny bits of gold.

    The miners hauled buckets of dirt down to the creek to wash for gold.

    Each load of dirt was washed carefully to catch every fleck of gold.

    Similargravel

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 7
    nounarchaicuncountable
    Solid waste passed from the body of an animal or person.

    Villagers spread the dirt from the cow barn over their fields to help the crops grow.

    And the haft also went in after the blade: and the fatte closed vpon the blade, so that hee could not drawe the dagger out of his belly, and the dirt came out.
    1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, dirt means solid waste from the body.
    Note
  2. 8
    verbraretransitive
    To make something dirty or unclean.

    Try not to dirt the tablecloth with greasy fingers.

    Muddy boots can dirt a freshly mopped floor.

    Similarsoil, foul, stain, smudge, muddy

    Oppositeclean, cleanse

    Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from an old word meaning "excrement," from Middle English and Old Norse.