mud

[muhd]

noun

1. wet, soft earth or earthy matter, as on the ground after rain, at the bottom of a pond, or along the banks of a river; mire.

2. Informal.,  scandalous or malicious assertions or information.

   The opposition threw a lot of mud at our candidate.

3. Slang.,  brewed coffee, especially when strong or bitter.

4. a mixture of chemicals and other substances pumped into a drilling rig chiefly as a lubricant for the bit and shaft.

verb (used with object)

mudded, mudding 

1. to cover, smear, or spatter with mud.

   to mud the walls of a hut.

2. to stir up the mud or sediment in.

   waders mudding the clear water.

verb (used without object)

mudded, mudding 

1. to hide in or burrow into mud.

mud

/ mʌd /

noun

1. a fine-grained soft wet deposit that occurs on the ground after rain, at the bottom of ponds, lakes, etc

2. informal,  slander or defamation

3. informal,  not at all clear

4. to disgrace or defame someone

5. informal,  a humorous drinking toast

6. informal,  someone is disgraced

7. informal,  to slander; vilify

verb

1. (tr) to soil or cover with mud

Other Word Forms

• unmudded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mud¹

1300–50; Middle English mudde, mode < Middle Low German mudde. mother ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of mud¹

C14: probably from Middle Low German mudde; compare Middle High German mot swamp, mud, Swedish modd slush

Idioms and Phrases

see clear as mud; name is mud; sling mud at.

Example Sentences

Mach Van Si, a farmer in Dak Lak, told AFP: "Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud."

Read more on BBC

"Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud," he told AFP on Sunday.

Read more on Barron's

Residents at the time described seeing slurry carrying "trees and big boulders", and buildings left deep in sludge and mud.

Read more on BBC

Over the weekend, Santa Barbara County’s roads were caked with mud and trees were uprooted amid heavy rain, but no major injuries were reported.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“We are passionate about finding answers for the families,” says Dr. Hourani, sipping coffee in his office while a colleague in a white hazmat suit uses a sink to rinse mud off a human pelvis.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clay 
• muck 
• silt 
• sludge 
• slush