sludge
mud, mire, or ooze; slush.
a deposit of ooze at the bottom of a body of water.
any of various more or less mudlike deposits or mixtures.
the sediment in a steam boiler or water tank.
broken ice, as on the sea.
a mixture of some finely powdered substance and water.
sediment deposited during the treatment of sewage.
Also called activated sludge. Bacteriology. sewage sediment that contains a heavy growth of microorganisms, resulting from vigorous aeration.
a fine, mudlike powder produced by a mining drill.
Origin of sludge
1Other words from sludge
- de-sludge, verb (used with object), de-sludged, de-sludg·ing.
Words Nearby sludge
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sludge in a sentence
It might be coming from bacteria in the guts of livestock, or decomposing sludge in landfills.
Many measures of Earth’s health are at worst levels on record, NOAA finds | Sarah Kaplan | August 26, 2021 | Washington PostHe says the landfill won’t accept sludge and drywall — stinky smell culprits — and that worries about road access are misguided.
Virginia community looks to preserve former school that’s part of segregated past | Kris Coronado | August 24, 2021 | Washington PostThis can fill rivers and lakes with toxic sludge, endangering wildlife and drinking water supplies.
One city’s fight to solve its sewage problem with sensors | Andrew Zaleski | April 28, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewWhile cameras were rolling, she challenged five barefoot children to make their way from one side of the pool to the other without getting stuck in the sludge.
A wave of dark, gray sludge spread over 300 acres, as deep as 6 feet, downing power lines, pushing a home off its foundation and filling a nearby river with toxins.
Forensic tests showed the birds died after becoming coated in sludge, Hubbard said.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. | David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey also used the powers of their separate agencies to cite waste haulers for spilling sludge along roadways.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. | David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMeat, dairy, and processed foods” should be avoided, she says, because they are “tracking toxic sludge through your baby house.
From ‘Clueless’ to Clueless: Alicia Silverstone’s ‘The Kind Mama’ | Lizzie Crocker | April 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRain had fallen heavily overnight and the streets were caked in sludge.
Inside a Russian-Occupied Police Station in Ukraine | David Patrikarakos | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey describe their genre as “SURF SEX sludge AND GARBAGE,” and grew up rocking out to Elvis.
Craziest SXSW Band Names: Perfect Pussy, Death By Unga Bunga, and More | Marlow Stern | March 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen the flood went down, I found it near the middle of the parairy, half buried in the sludge.
The Hunters' Feast | Mayne ReidA soft sludge as it came noiselessly to rest beneath the glazed chintz awnings of the Butterfly Center station.
Ptomaine Street | Carolyn WellsThe sludge was then lifted and thrown upon an inclined screen and down the shoot over the side of the bank.
In the mean time, Rust and sludge became exceedingly sociable.
sludge must be right in this; otherwise the theologians would not have had such a successful run.
British Dictionary definitions for sludge
/ (slʌdʒ) /
soft mud, snow, etc
any deposit or sediment
a surface layer of ice that has a slushy appearance
(in sewage disposal) the solid constituents of sewage that precipitate during treatment and are removed for subsequent purification
Origin of sludge
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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