mudslide
Britishnoun
Explanation
When dirt, rocks, and water flow down the side of a mountain, it's called a mudslide. Heavy rain and melting snow can both cause mudslides. Another name for a mudslide is a debris flow. It's a fast-moving type of landslide that's made at least partly of mud, which gives the phenomenon its name. Mudslides often happen after natural disasters (like earthquakes), and hillsides that have been burned by wildfires or developed by people are more vulnerable. The effects of mudslides include impassable roads, broken pipes and cables that cause water and power outages, and even homes buried under mud.
Vocabulary lists containing mudslide
Earth Science - Middle School
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Earth Science - High School
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Earth Science - Introductory
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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.
China said the mudslide reached the border crossing from its origin in around seven minutes.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
In Tibet, Chinese state media said that the "mudslide disaster" had killed three people, while 558 people, including 260 foreigners, were missing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Researchers believe both died at the same time, possibly during a flash flood or mudslide.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
Freeport-McMoRan said last month that full production would return more slowly than expected after a fatal mudslide last September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
A mudslide swept down the mountain, picking up trees and logs and trucks and houses and bridges.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
