dirty work
Americannoun
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disagreeable, often tedious tasks.
-
any illegal or dishonest dealing.
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.
Instead, it’s better to humor him by pursuing it and letting some element of the legal system—a judge, a grand jury—do the dirty work of keeping the rule of law at least somewhat intact.
From Slate • Feb. 14, 2026
They’re the guys that are doing a lot of dirty work that don’t really get the recognition, and I think a lot of Americans probably see themselves in that lens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025
Cybersecurity experts are warning that artificial intelligence agents, widely considered the next frontier in the generative AI revolution, could wind up getting hijacked and doing the dirty work for hackers.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
Ekitike's contribution deserves a deeper look because he is a tireless nuisance to opposition defences, willing to do the dirty work as well as grab the goalscoring glory.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025
It was dirty work and I wondered how I could stop it.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
