sludge

[ sluhj ]

noun

1. mud, mire, or ooze; slush.
2. a deposit of ooze at the bottom of a body of water.
3. any of various more or less mudlike deposits or mixtures.
4. the sediment in a steam boiler or water tank.
5. broken ice, as on the sea.
6. a mixture of some finely powdered substance and water.
7. sediment deposited during the treatment of sewage.
8. Also called activated sludge. Bacteriology. sewage sediment that contains a heavy growth of microorganisms, resulting from vigorous aeration.
9. a fine, mudlike powder produced by a mining drill.

sludge

/ slʌdʒ /

noun

1. soft mud, snow, etc
2. any deposit or sediment
3. a surface layer of ice that has a slushy appearance
4. (in sewage disposal) the solid constituents of sewage that precipitate during treatment and are removed for subsequent purification

Other Words From

• de-sludge verb (used with object) desludged desludging

Word History and Origins

Origin of sludge¹

First recorded in 1640–50; variant of dialectal slutch, slitch, Middle English slich “slime, wet mud” (compare its derivative slucched “muddy”); apparently of expressive origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of sludge¹

C17: probably related to slush

Example Sentences

It might be coming from bacteria in the guts of livestock, or decomposing sludge in landfills.

From Washington Post

He says the landfill won’t accept sludge and drywall — stinky smell culprits — and that worries about road access are misguided.

From Washington Post

This can fill rivers and lakes with toxic sludge, endangering wildlife and drinking water supplies.

From MIT Technology Review

While cameras were rolling, she challenged five barefoot children to make their way from one side of the pool to the other without getting stuck in the sludge.

From MIT Technology Review

A wave of dark, gray sludge spread over 300 acres, as deep as 6 feet, downing power lines, pushing a home off its foundation and filling a nearby river with toxins.

From ProPublica

Forensic tests showed the birds died after becoming coated in sludge, Hubbard said.

From The Daily Beast

They also used the powers of their separate agencies to cite waste haulers for spilling sludge along roadways.

From The Daily Beast

Meat, dairy, and processed foods” should be avoided, she says, because they are “tracking toxic sludge through your baby house.

From The Daily Beast

Rain had fallen heavily overnight and the streets were caked in sludge.

From The Daily Beast

They describe their genre as “SURF SEX SLUDGE AND GARBAGE,” and grew up rocking out to Elvis.

From The Daily Beast

When the flood went down, I found it near the middle of the parairy, half buried in the sludge.

From Project Gutenberg

A soft sludge as it came noiselessly to rest beneath the glazed chintz awnings of the Butterfly Center station.

From Project Gutenberg

The sludge was then lifted and thrown upon an inclined screen and down the shoot over the side of the bank.

From Project Gutenberg

In the mean time, Rust and Sludge became exceedingly sociable.

From Project Gutenberg

Sludge must be right in this; otherwise the theologians would not have had such a successful run.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• goo
• grease
• gunk
• muck
• sediment
• silt
• slime