mud

American  

[muhd] / mʌd /

noun

1. wet, soft earth or earthy matter, as on the ground after rain, at the bottom of a pond, or along the banks of a river; mire.

2. Informal. scandalous or malicious assertions or information.

   The opposition threw a lot of mud at our candidate.

3. Slang. brewed coffee, especially when strong or bitter.

4. a mixture of chemicals and other substances pumped into a drilling rig chiefly as a lubricant for the bit and shaft.

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verb (used with object)

mudded, mudding

1. to cover, smear, or spatter with mud.

   to mud the walls of a hut.

2. to stir up the mud or sediment in.

   waders mudding the clear water.

verb (used without object)

mudded, mudding

1. to hide in or burrow into mud.

mud British  

/ mʌd /

noun

1. a fine-grained soft wet deposit that occurs on the ground after rain, at the bottom of ponds, lakes, etc

2. informal slander or defamation

3. informal not at all clear

4. to disgrace or defame someone

5. informal a humorous drinking toast

6. informal someone is disgraced

7. informal to slander; vilify

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verb

1. (tr) to soil or cover with mud

mud Idioms  

1. see clear as mud; name is mud; sling mud at.

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Other Word Forms

• unmudded adjective

Etymology

Origin of mud

1300–50; Middle English mudde, mode < Middle Low German mudde. mother ²

Example Sentences

Even “when I’m in the mud and I have filled up my muck boots with mud and water, at no point have I ever thought, ‘Man I miss the office,’” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

So after the York family brand has been dragged through the mud, where do the princesses now fit within the Royal Family?

From BBC

They floated their way to high ground, then slid their way through the mud up to the ridge.

From Literature

Here it pushes and carves through a canyon of mud walls that resemble the color of a wasp’s nest.

From Los Angeles Times

I felt the gentle pull of the current and the slipperiness of moss and mud beneath my feet.

From Literature

Related Words

• clay
• muck
• silt
• sludge
• slush