mud

American  

[muhd] / mʌd /

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 British  

/ 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

mud Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

• unmudded adjective

Etymology

Origin of mud

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

Example Sentences

"That lent to the type of fish that were there, shrimps and the like. Then there was some sort of catastrophic event for the shark, which killed it, but it seemed to sink into mud."

From BBC

In Sherman Oaks, hours of heavy rain on Thursday sent mud and debris flowing down a hillside at a residential construction site.

From Los Angeles Times

Some Southern California mountain communities were buried in mud.

From Los Angeles Times

On Sunday afternoon, Guenther was among a volunteer crew helping to dig out mud from an older woman’s home.

From Los Angeles Times

In Wrightwood, nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains, residents were digging out of rivers of mud and debris that washed through their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clay
• muck
• silt
• sludge
• slush