dirt

[ durt ]

/ dɜrt /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dirt ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any foul or filthy substance, as mud, grime, dust, or excrement.

earth or soil, especially when loose.

something or someone vile, mean, or worthless: After that last outburst of hers I thought she was dirt.

moral filth; vileness; corruption.

obscene or lewd language: to talk dirt.

Informal. gossip, especially of a malicious, lurid, or scandalous nature: Tell me all the latest dirt.

private or personal information which if made public would create a scandal or ruin the reputation of a person, company, etc.

Mining.

crude, broken ore or waste.
(in placer mining) the material from which gold is separated by washing.

Nearby words

dirksen, dirksen, everett mckinley, dirl, dirndl, dirofilaria, dirt, dirt bag, dirt bike, dirt cheap, dirt dauber, dirt farm

Idioms

do (someone) dirt. dirty(def 18).

eat dirt, Informal. to accept blame, guilt, criticism, or insults without complaint; humble or abase oneself: The prosecutor seemed determined to make the defendant eat dirt.

Origin of dirt

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

SYNONYMS FOR dirt

6 scandal, slander, rumor, scuttlebutt.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dirt ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dirt

Turns out that wool regulates temperature, repels water, wicks away moisture, and resists stains and dirt.
The Coolest Fashion Innovations of 2014|Raquel Laneri|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They slapped and punched him, and when he fell, dragged him through the dirt.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In one case a detainee was dragged naked along the dirt floor.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Madusa had spent time on motorcycles, dirt bikes and four wheelers, among other rides.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But how is it they never lose that hunger to turn over the next shovel of dirt?
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Great care is used in cleaning substances to be plated, all dirt and grease being carefully removed.
Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity|Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew) St. John
The dirt is, of course, to be carefully brushed off before applying the blacking.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
"It would take a three-inch field piece, sir, to make an impression on this wall of dirt," smiled Sergeant Hal.
Uncle Sam's Boys in the Philippines|H. Irving Hancock
"Dirt don't stick to you, Mr. Oldfield," once said a seeking widow.
Tiverton Tales|Alice Brown
While filling in the excavation, the pipe represented in Fig. 22 was found in the dirt which had been removed from it.
Burial Mounds of the Northern Sections of the United States|Cyrus Thomas

British Dictionary definitions for dirt

dirt

/ (dɜːt) /

noun

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

loose earth; soil

packed earth, gravel, cinders, etc, used to make a racetrack
(as modifier)a dirt track

mining the gravel or soil from which minerals are extracted

a person or thing regarded as worthless

obscene or indecent speech or writing

slang gossip; scandalous information

moral corruption

do someone dirt slang to do something vicious to someone

dish the dirt informal to spread malicious gossip

eat dirt slang to accept insult without complaining

treat someone like dirt to have no respect or consideration for someone

Word Origin for dirt

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dirt

dirt

15c. metathesis of Middle English drit, drytt "mud, dirt, dung" (c.1300), from Old Norse drit, cognate with Old English dritan "to void excrement," from Proto-Germanic *dritanan (cf. Dutch drijten, Old High German trizan).

Used abusively of persons from c.1300. Meaning "gossip" first attested 1926 (in Hemingway); dirt bike is 1960s. Dirt-cheap is from 1821. Dirt road attested by 1852.

Idioms and Phrases with dirt

dirt

In addition to the idiom beginning with dirt

dirt cheap
dirty joke
dirty look, give a
dirty one's hands
dirty tricks
dirty work

also see:

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

Also see underdirty.

dirt

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of dirt

Examples from the Web for dirt

British Dictionary definitions for dirt

dirt

noun

Word Origin for dirt

Word Origin and History for dirt

dirt

Idioms and Phrases with dirt

dirt