sod
1 Americannoun
-
a section cut or torn from the surface of grassland, containing the matted roots of grass.
-
the surface of the ground, especially when covered with grass; turf; sward.
verb (used with object)
verb
noun
-
a person considered to be obnoxious
-
a jocular word for a person
the poor sod hasn't been out for weeks
-
slang nothing
interjection
noun
-
a piece of grass-covered surface soil held together by the roots of the grass; turf
-
poetic the ground
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sod1
First recorded in 1475–1525; late Middle English sod(de), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German sode “turf”
Origin of sod3
First recorded in 1810–15; by shortening of sodomite ( def. )
Explanation
Sod is grass and the layer of soil that's just below it. When you step onto a grassy soccer field, your cleats will sink into the sod. You can also call sod "turf." A green, grassy lawn is covered with sod, and if you plant a yard with brand new sod, you sod it. Experts know that sod comes either from a Middle Dutch or Middle Low German root, but beyond that it's a bit of a mystery. Some guesses connect it to sog, from the idea of wet sod saturated with water—or soggy sod.
Vocabulary lists containing sod
Physical Geography - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Physical Geography - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Charlotte's Web
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
In “Grass Breathing,” Mendieta, hidden beneath squares of sod, uses her own respiration to animate the earth above.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
For this enormous game, new grass was specially sourced from a nearby sod farm.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
Mr Williams said: "I'm just a stubborn old sod and I'm not going to give in. I would appreciate it if anybody said to me 'you were right and we were wrong'."
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2025
USC’s new baseball stadium isn’t slated to open to the public until early 2026, but the Trojans began practicing here on the field in February, as soon as the sod had set.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
He could smell the fertilized sod of the golf course.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
On the exterior, the houses have raised panel shutters, a concrete walkway, an asphalt driveway, fully sodded front, side and rear yards, vinyl siding and a 30-year warranty on the roof shingles.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2020
Last year’s winners included an in-ground pool that had been filled with soil and sodded with grass to hide its existence.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2017
They're measuring yardages from various positions on the freshly re-graded and sodded teeing area, which is almost as big as our entire golf course:
From Golf Digest ● Jul. 9, 2016
It was then sodded for a third time in four months before the start of the regular season in an effort to find the right grass and soil combination that would stay rooted.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 2, 2015
The wheels of heavily loaded wagons sank deep into the mud and left gaping lacerations, adding to the list of wounds to be filled, smoothed, and sodded.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
“Yeah, it seems trivial to have members of the National Guard, you know, sodding the National Mall. But you also have to look at this in context,” she said.
From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2025
Michael described himself as a "very awkward, slightly porky, very strange-looking bloke" who walked into his first day of school with a mop of curly hair and wearing "sodding great big window-frame glasses."
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2023
It’s considered a nuisance or a weed when it pops up in luscious suburban lawns, long the bane of gardeners and homeowners sodding, sprinkling and nurturing the greenest of grasses.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2018
“We worked on several projects that were funded by Publix, including an herb/vegetable garden for the culinary program, beautification of common grounds and sodding, and landscaping a new yoga/meditation area for the students,” she said.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2018
“This path must be laid out like a sodding maze,” said Alice.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
