dirt

[durt]

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.

dirt

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirt¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

Example Sentences

Down a dirt road and among fruit trees and farm animals, one of the gray and black prototypes sat silently on the test rails on a recent morning.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Further south in Multan district, always hit hard by floods, the scale of the humanitarian crisis became even clearer, with tents lining dirt roads and highways.

Read more on BBC

On Thursday, piles of dirt, concrete shards and other debris surrounded the property, with a bulldozer watching over.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Patches of weeds and bare dirt were spreading across the fields.

Read more on Literature

“Cut the cameras,” Roberts yelled to media members, as he playfully grabbed at his hamstring and wiped dirt off his sweatshirt.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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