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: 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.

dirt

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt¹

C13: from Old Norse drit excrement; related to Middle Dutch drēte

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.

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

Example Sentences

“I always thought I would farm till they threw dirt on top of me,” Buchholz said.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

They’re dirt and sand roads, but there’s intersections, there’s right of way.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Robert Smithson had bulldozed dirt and rocks to build a spiral jetty coiling out into Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I could see the familiar dirt tracks, and the houses drowning in lush vegetation.

Read more on BBC

It appeared that the helicopter augered into the dirt embankment on the side of the highway, tearing up weeds with its tail rotor before skidding across five freeway lanes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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