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clay soil

American  
[klay soil] / ˈkleɪ ˈsɔɪl /

noun

  • clay soils
    plural
  1. soil that contains a high percentage of clay, making it sticky when wet and slow to drain.


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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He picks up some of the clay soil to show me, looking for any stones that might be hidden amongst it.

From BBC Feb. 6, 2026

But many people don’t have that option — in Oklahoma, for example, the clay soil makes building basements expensive, so lots of homes don’t have them.

From Seattle Times May 25, 2024

But after many of the new plants died, they learned their yard had mostly heavy, slow-draining clay soil, and that native plants prefer well-draining native soils over enriched garden plots.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 3, 2024

Embankment dams—built from materials such as compacted clay, soil and stone—are more common than their concrete counterparts because they’re cheaper, Shannon says.

From Scientific American Sep. 15, 2023

Something was wrong with each, however—drainage, sunlight, clay soil.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

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