dirt

American  

[durt] / dɜrt /

noun

• dirt
  plural

1. any foul or filthy substance, as mud, grime, dust, or excrement.

2. earth or soil, especially when loose.

3. something or someone vile, mean, or worthless.

   After that last outburst of hers I thought she was dirt.

4. moral filth; vileness; corruption.

5. obscene or lewd language.

   to talk dirt.

6. Informal. gossip, especially of a malicious, lurid, or scandalous nature.

   Tell me all the latest dirt.

   Synonyms:

   scuttlebutt, rumor, slander, scandal

7. private or personal information which if made public would create a scandal or ruin the reputation of a person, company, etc.

8. Mining.

   1. crude, broken ore or waste.

   2. (in placer mining) the material from which gold is separated by washing.

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idioms

1. eat dirt, to accept blame, guilt, criticism, or insults without complaint; humble or abase oneself.

   The prosecutor seemed determined to make the defendant eat dirt.

2. do (someone) dirt. dirty.

dirt British  

/ dɜːt /

noun

1. any unclean substance, such as mud, dust, excrement, etc; filth

2. loose earth; soil

3. 1. packed earth, gravel, cinders, etc, used to make a racetrack

   2. ( as modifier )

      a dirt track

4. mining the gravel or soil from which minerals are extracted

5. a person or thing regarded as worthless

6. obscene or indecent speech or writing

7. slang gossip; scandalous information

8. moral corruption

9. slang to do something vicious to someone

10. informal to spread malicious gossip

11. slang to accept insult without complaining

12. to have no respect or consideration for someone

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dirt More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing dirt

• dig up (dirt)
• dirty
• dish the dirt
• eat crow (dirt)
• hit the deck (dirt)
• pay dirt
• treat like dirt

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dirt
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of dirt

1250–1300; Middle English dirt, drit; cognate with Old Norse drit excrement; compare Old English drītan

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Explanation

Dirt is earth or soil — it's the substance that makes up the dry surfaces of our planet. Gardeners spend a lot of time digging in the dirt, planting seeds and pulling up weeds. Dirt is the fine rock that makes up soil, but it also means anything unclean: "Do something about the dust and dirt in this room before our guests arrive!" When you know something embarrassing about another person, especially juicy gossip, you can call that information dirt as well — this meaning was coined by Ernest Hemingway in 1926. The word comes from the Old English drytt, "mud, dirt, or dung."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dirt

McFARLAND, Calif. — A white SUV drives past fields of grapes and nut trees and pulls to a stop on the dirt shoulder across the highway from a strange tableau:

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

But I also get some dirt under my fingernails with Zoom calls, brainstorms, writing and pitching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Images released by emergency services showed rescue workers in high-visibility vests scrambling to move debris, rubble and dirt.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

You talk about taking the slow road to retirement, not diverting down dirt tracks leading you to the Emerald City of AI, and how it seems, well, boring and safe.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

“Just set your traps in the dirt at the foot of the tree, and hang an apple above each one. I think that’ll do the job.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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Related Words

• excrement
• ground
• muck
• mud
• soil
• stain

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