51Թ

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View synonyms for

dirt

[durt]

noun

  1. any foul or filthy substance, as mud, grime, dust, or excrement.

  2. earth or soil, especially when loose.

  3. something or someone vile, mean, or worthless.

    After that last outburst of hers I thought she was dirt.

  4. moral filth; vileness; corruption.

  5. obscene or lewd language.

    to talk dirt.

  6. Informal.gossip, especially of a malicious, lurid, or scandalous nature.

    Tell me all the latest dirt.

    Synonyms: , , ,
  7. private or personal information which if made public would create a scandal or ruin the reputation of a person, company, etc.

  8. Mining.

    1. crude, broken ore or waste.

    2. (in placer mining) the material from which gold is separated by washing.



dirt

/ ɜː /

noun

  1. any unclean substance, such as mud, dust, excrement, etc; filth

  2. loose earth; soil

    1. packed earth, gravel, cinders, etc, used to make a racetrack

    2. ( as modifier )

      a dirt track

  3. mining the gravel or soil from which minerals are extracted

  4. a person or thing regarded as worthless

  5. obscene or indecent speech or writing

  6. slanggossip; scandalous information

  7. moral corruption

  8. slangto do something vicious to someone

  9. informalto spread malicious gossip

  10. slangto accept insult without complaining

  11. to have no respect or consideration for someone

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of dirt1

1250–1300; Middle English dirt, drit; cognate with Old Norse drit excrement; compare Old English īٲ
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of dirt1

C13: from Old Norse drit excrement; related to Middle Dutch ŧٱ
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. 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.

  2. do (someone) dirt. dirty.

In addition to the idiom beginning with dirt, also see dig up (dirt); dish the dirt; eat crow (dirt); hit the deck (dirt); pay dirt; treat like dirt. Also see under dirty.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

With plenty of grass, trees, dirt and hints of scatological delights in the air, they were in dog paradise.

From

John grows his own fruit and vegetables but after three years of construction work next to his house he said he has had to "restart the garden from scratch" due to the dirt and dust.

From

Seeing dirt under their fingernails is simply a lateral move.

From

The shortstop fell to the ground as Phoenix Call caught the final out in shallow right field, holding his head to the dirt.

From

"I was raised in Delta dirt, sunshine and flatland that goes on for miles and miles," she sings, as people nod their heads and stomp their feet to the beat.

From

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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.

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