mud

[muhd]

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.

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

/ 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

verb

1. (tr) to soil or cover with mud

Other Word Forms

• unmudded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mud¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mud¹

C14: probably from Middle Low German mudde; compare Middle High German mot swamp, mud, Swedish modd slush

Idioms and Phrases

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

Example Sentences

A fatal mud rush in September at an Indonesian mine led to seven deaths and a suspension of operations.

Read more on Barron's

In addition to businesses, belongings and lives being lost, the water and mud also deprived many families of their memories.

Read more on Barron's

I place that term in quotation marks since, as many people have said and continue to say, the version of “debate” that Kirk popularized is a wrestling match in a mud pit of logical fallacies.

Read more on Salon

Last week’s storm dumped inches of rain on the San Bernardino County mountains and foothills and unleashed a torrent of mud, rocks and trees, particularly in burn scars near Oak Glen and Forest Falls.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I may be criticized and dragged through the mud for it…but I don’t care,” Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said, after backing a 17% increase for State Farm.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clay 
• muck 
• silt 
• sludge 
• slush