dirt

American  

[durt] / dɜrt /

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.

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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.

dirt British  

/ 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

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dirt More Idioms  

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

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Etymology

Origin of dirt

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

Explanation

Dirt is earth or soil — it's the substance that makes up the dry surfaces of our planet. Gardeners spend a lot of time digging in the dirt, planting seeds and pulling up weeds. Dirt is the fine rock that makes up soil, but it also means anything unclean: "Do something about the dust and dirt in this room before our guests arrive!" When you know something embarrassing about another person, especially juicy gossip, you can call that information dirt as well — this meaning was coined by Ernest Hemingway in 1926. The word comes from the Old English drytt, "mud, dirt, or dung."

Example Sentences

Within the monument, most of the roads are gravel or dirt, and there is no drinkable water, no food, no gas and spotty cellphone coverage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Around sunset on Sept. 22, six days after Cynthia was last seen, a rural landowner was walking her dog on a private dirt road 40 miles south of Arlington when she noticed a foul odor.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Because it doesn’t spin like a slider, batters often read it as a fastball out of the pitcher’s hand—only for the ball to plummet into the dirt at the last possible moment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The 'terrao' - essentially a dirt pitch - where he grew up completed his football education.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

“And Jonah believes everything he says. And he’ll do anything he says, especially when Dad dangles the dirt bike carrot. It buys Jonah’s loyalty every time. It’s like he’s Dad’s puppet.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

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