# dirty

Pronunciation: say "DUR-tee" US /ˈdɝti/, UK /ˈdɜːti/

## Adjective

1. Covered with or containing dirt, grime, or other unpleasant matter.
   - Simple: Covered with dirt, dust, or anything that is not clean.
   - _The mechanic's overalls were dirty with grease by midday._
   - _She refused to drink from the dirty glass on the counter._
2. Obscene or indecent, especially with sexual content.
   - Simple: Rude or sexual in a way that many people find shocking or wrong.
   - _The comedian's dirty humor wasn't suitable for a family audience._
   - _She blushed at the dirty lyrics buried in the chorus._
3. Dishonorable; breaking accepted standards or rules of fair conduct.
   - Simple: Not fair or honest, and breaking the agreed rules.
   - _The boxer was disqualified for a dirty punch below the belt._
   - _Spreading lies about a rival is a dirty way to win an election._
4. Corrupt or illegal; involving improper or unlawful conduct.
   - Simple: Connected with crime, or made through illegal acts.
   - _Investigators traced the dirty money to an offshore account._
   - _The senator resigned after his dirty dealings came to light._
6. Of a color, discolored or made impure by added matter.
   - Simple: Of a color, made dull or less pure by something mixed in.
   - _The sky turned a dirty gray just before the storm._
   - _Years of smoke had stained the ceiling a dirty brown._
7. Capable of making a person unclean, whether by corrupting them morally or by spreading infection.
   - Simple: Able to make a person unclean, spreading sickness or moral harm.
   - _Outreach workers handed out clean syringes so people would stop sharing dirty ones that spread disease._
   - _After the flood, dirty water from the village well made dozens of families sick._
8. Of a weapon or device: spreading harmful radiation over a wide area.
   - Simple: Used about a bomb or weapon that scatters dangerous radioactive material over a large area.
   - _Investigators warned that a dirty bomb could render several city blocks uninhabitable._
   - _Experts say a dirty bomb could spread radioactive material across a neighborhood, causing panic and requiring costly cleanup._
9. Of sound: rough, noisy, or distorted, whether through unwanted noise on a recording or deliberately, as in an overdriven guitar tone.
   - Simple: Of sound, rough or fuzzy, either because of unwanted noise or because a musician wants it that way.
   - _The vintage recording was too dirty for broadcast without restoration._
   - _Engineers flagged the live take as dirty, with hum bleeding through every quiet passage._
11. Of an alcoholic drink, especially a cocktail: served with a measure of olive brine or juice. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Of a drink, especially a cocktail, made with a splash of olive juice.
   - _He asked the bartender for a dirty martini, heavy on the brine._
   - _She prefers her vodka martini dirty, with three olives on the side._
12. Of food, richly indulgent and unhealthy, often loaded with toppings such as cheese or meat.
   - Simple: Used of food that is greasy, rich, and covered in toppings, in an enjoyable way.
   - _Sometimes you just crave a dirty cheeseburger loaded with bacon._
   - _Their menu is full of dirty desserts dripping with chocolate._
14. Carrying illegal drugs on one's person or in one's bloodstream. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Carrying illegal drugs, or having them in your blood.
   - _His drug test came back dirty two weeks before the season, and the coach cut him from the team._
   - _Athletes who test dirty face an immediate suspension._
15. Used as an intensifier, especially together with 'great'. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Used to make the next word stronger, often before 'great'.
   - _A dirty great spider scuttled across the kitchen floor._
   - _They built a dirty great fence right across the view._
16. Of weather, rough and unsettled, marked by sleet, strong gusts, and storms.
   - Simple: Used about weather that is rough and stormy, with sleet and strong wind.
   - _The captain reefed the sails as dirty weather closed in._
   - _Forecasters warned of a dirty night, with squalls and driving sleet._
17. Played or sung out of tune, with notes that sit off the correct pitch.
   - Simple: Not playing or singing at the right pitch.
   - _The piano sounded dirty after years without tuning._
   - _The director stopped the choir because the altos' long note was dirty, sitting just under the right pitch._

## Verb

5. To make something dirty or soiled, or to become dirty.
   - Simple: To make something dirty, or to get dirty.
   - _Don't dirty the clean towels with your muddy hands._
   - _The mechanics dirtied their uniforms within an hour._
13. To stain or tarnish someone's reputation, or to debase something by misrepresenting it.
   - Simple: To damage someone's good name, or to make something seem worse than it is.
   - _Critics sought to dirty the general's name with unfounded accusations._
   - _One careless remark dirtied the family's honor for a generation._

## Adverb

10. In a manner that is unfair, dishonest, or unclean.
   - Simple: In a way that is unfair or not clean.
   - _The team played dirty, tripping opponents whenever the referee looked away._
   - _He fights dirty, hitting below the belt every chance he gets._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of data or a memory page: containing changes not yet written back to memory or disk.
- (adjective) Of an aircraft: configured with the landing gear and flaps in the down position.
- (adjective) Of a pattern in a cellular automaton, producing a large amount of ash, the stray debris left behind.

## Origin

From Middle English dirti, an alteration of earlier dritti, equivalent to dirt plus the suffix -y. It is related to Middle Low German drēterich meaning "dirty."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dirty (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).