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.

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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

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verb

1. (tr) to soil or cover with mud

mud Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• unmudded adjective

Etymology

Origin of mud

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

Example Sentences

They took me to see how the place had been reordered: the fragile mud houses that had sheltered our ancestors for centuries were gone, replaced by sturdy brick homes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

According to Port Vale's official website,, external Spurs boss Terry Venables took one look at the pitch and told star midfielder Ossie Ardiles that he would "get lost in the mud".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Residents described water rising to waist level in just hours — overwhelming properties that had never flooded before and leaving behind a thick layer of mud and debris.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

Those roles sometimes conflict — as they did at Lake Mendocino, which dried to a mud puddle during the 2012–16 drought.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

She took handfuls of mud and slathered it on his face so he looked like a piglet in a mud puddle.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• clay
• muck
• silt
• sludge
• slush