dirt

American  

[durt] / dɜrt /

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:

   scuttlebutt , rumor , slander , scandal

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.

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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.

dirt British  

/ dɜːt /

noun

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

2. loose earth; soil

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

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dirt track

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

5. a person or thing regarded as worthless

6. obscene or indecent speech or writing

7. slang  gossip; scandalous information

8. moral corruption

9. slang  to do something vicious to someone

10. informal  to spread malicious gossip

11. slang  to accept insult without complaining

12. to have no respect or consideration for someone

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dirt More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dirt

• dig up (dirt)
• dirty
• dish the dirt
• eat crow (dirt)
• hit the deck (dirt)
• pay dirt
• treat like dirt

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Etymology

Origin of dirt

1250–1300; Middle English dirt, drit; cognate with Old Norse drit excrement; compare Old English drītan

Example Sentences

The American squatted in the dirt, struggling to free the cantaloupe from its prickly stem, almost toppling over.

From Los Angeles Times

Fernando, Osmin and their two younger brothers spent their free time shooting slingshots and riding ATVs around acres of dirt roads and fields that belonged to the company where their parents worked.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The roads were dirt and wound around as if made by somnambulistic cows.”

From The Wall Street Journal

We were impressed with its seamless reaction and relentless forward motion when driving it on dirt paths in hilly terrain.

From MarketWatch

Whenever the film goes outside, he and Zhao make you feel the mystical power of the dirt and leaves.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• excrement
• ground
• muck
• mud
• soil
• stain