dirt
Americannoun
-
any foul or filthy substance, as mud, grime, dust, or excrement.
-
earth or soil, especially when loose.
-
something or someone vile, mean, or worthless.
After that last outburst of hers I thought she was dirt.
-
moral filth; vileness; corruption.
-
obscene or lewd language.
to talk dirt.
-
Informal. gossip, especially of a malicious, lurid, or scandalous nature.
Tell me all the latest dirt.
- Synonyms:
- scuttlebutt, rumor, slander, scandal
-
private or personal information which if made public would create a scandal or ruin the reputation of a person, company, etc.
-
Mining.
-
crude, broken ore or waste.
-
(in placer mining) the material from which gold is separated by washing.
-
idioms
-
eat dirt, to accept blame, guilt, criticism, or insults without complaint; humble or abase oneself.
The prosecutor seemed determined to make the defendant eat dirt.
-
do (someone) dirt. dirty.
noun
-
any unclean substance, such as mud, dust, excrement, etc; filth
-
loose earth; soil
-
-
packed earth, gravel, cinders, etc, used to make a racetrack
-
( as modifier )
a dirt track
-
-
mining the gravel or soil from which minerals are extracted
-
a person or thing regarded as worthless
-
obscene or indecent speech or writing
-
slang gossip; scandalous information
-
moral corruption
-
slang to do something vicious to someone
-
informal to spread malicious gossip
-
slang to accept insult without complaining
-
to have no respect or consideration for someone
Etymology
Origin of dirt
1250–1300; Middle English dirt, drit; cognate with Old Norse drit excrement; compare Old English drītan
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then my foot slipped just a little more than I could account for, and that heavy pack drove me into the dirt hard.
The Shah boarded a plane, scooping a fistful of Iranian dirt on his way out.
They searched from the slanted loft down to the dirt cellar.
From Literature
His throne room is made of cinder blocks and has a dirt floor.
Escaping the dirt and sweaty toil of the farm was her goal.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
