(often initial capital letter) the planet third in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 7,926 miles (12,755 km) and a polar diameter of 7,900 miles (12,714 km), a mean distance from the sun of 92.9 million miles (149.6 million km), and a period of revolution of 365.26 days, and having one satellite.
the inhabitants of this planet, especially the human inhabitants.
The whole earth rejoiced.
this planet as the habitation of humans, often in contrast to heaven and hell.
to create a hell on earth.
the surface of this planet.
to fall to earth.
the solid matter of this planet; dry land; ground.
soil and dirt, as distinguished from rock and sand; the softer part of the land.
the hole of a burrowing animal; lair.
Chemistry. any of several metallic oxides that are difficult to reduce, as alumina, zirconia, and yttria.
Also called earth color. Fine Arts. any of various pigments consisting chiefly of iron oxides and tending toward brown in hue.
Chiefly British Electronics. a ground.
Archaic. a land or country.
run to earth,
Hunting. to chase (an animal) into its hole or burrow.
to run a fox to earth.
to search out; track down.
They ran the fugitive to earth in Algiers.
move heaven and earth. heaven.
on earth, in the world.
Where on earth have you been?
(sometimes capital) the third planet from the sun, the only planet on which life is known to exist. It is not quite spherical, being flattened at the poles, and consists of three geological zones, the core, mantle, and thin outer crust. The surface, covered with large areas of water, is enveloped by an atmosphere principally of nitrogen (78 per cent), oxygen (21 per cent), and some water vapour. The age is estimated at over four thousand million years. Distance from sun: 149.6 million km; equatorial diameter: 12 756 km; mass: 5.976 × 10 24 kg; sidereal period of axial rotation: 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds; sidereal period of revolution about sun: 365.256 days
the inhabitants of this planet
the whole earth rejoiced
the dry surface of this planet as distinguished from sea or sky; land; ground
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the surface of the ground and consists of disintegrated rock particles, mould, clay, etc; soil
worldly or temporal matters as opposed to the concerns of the spirit
the hole in which some species of burrowing animals, esp foxes, live
chem See rare earth alkaline earth
a connection between an electrical circuit or device and the earth, which is at zero potential
US and Canadian equivalent: ground. a terminal to which this connection is made
Also called: earth colour. any of various brown pigments composed chiefly of iron oxides
(modifier) astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn Compare air fire water
informal to be very expensive
to return to reality from a fantasy or daydream
used as an intensifier in such phrases as what on earth , who on earth , etc
to hunt (an animal, esp a fox) to its earth and trap it there
to find (someone) after searching
(intr) (of a hunted fox) to go to ground
(tr) to connect (a circuit, device, etc) to earth
What does earth mean? Earth with a capital E refers to the third planet from our sun, as in Mars fascinates me, but Earth will always be my home. Lowercased, earth most often refers to the surface material of our planet, including rock, soil, and dirt, as in The bulldozer moved so much earth out of the building lot that if I jumped in the hole, I couldn’t get out again. Earth can also refer to the entire human population, representing the Earth as a planet of people, rather than a giant rock floating in space, as in The whole earth was worried about COVID-19. Example: Earth revolves around the sun about every 365 days.
Earth, globe, world are terms applied to the planet on which we dwell. Earth is used especially in speaking of a condition of existence contrasted with that in heaven or hell: those who are yet on earth. Globe formerly emphasized merely the roundness of the earth: to circumnavigate the globe. It is now used more like world, with especial application to the inhabitants of the earth and their activities, interests, and concerns. In this sense, both globe and world are more inclusive than earth and are used more abstractly: the politics of the globe; the future of the world; One World.
It consists of an inner core made of iron and nickel, an outer core of liquid metal, a mantle, and, on the outside, a crust.
On the Earth's surface, the oceans and the continents form the stage on which the evolution of life takes place. The atmosphere above the surface circulates, producing the daily weather.
The Earth was formed at the same time as the sun, about 4.6 billion years ago.
The surface of the solid Earth is in a state of constant change as the rock is moved around by the processes of plate tectonics.
First recorded before 950; Middle English erthe, Old English eorthe; cognate with German Erde, Dutch aarde, Old Norse jǫrth, Danish jord, Gothic airtha
Earth is our home planet, the third from the sun. Life on earth is possible because of its particular climate and the presence of water. Earth is the most familiar of the planets, being the one we live on. You can also use the word to talk about the earth you stand on — it's the non-liquid part of our planet, the solid ground. It's also another word for "dirt" or "soil." The Old English root, eorþe also had a double meaning, both "ground or soil" and "the material world" or "the abode of man," as opposed to the heavens.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nearby, after scraping away a thin layer of earth, smoke begins to rise.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The companies are generally reluctant to make multibillion-dollar investments in projects that likely wouldn’t start producing fuels until long after their hefty profit margins had fallen back to earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
His films will one day too become flowers left not only as proof of his time on earth, but perhaps as messages for those to come who have the sensibility to appreciate them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
"In low earth orbit, there is sufficient air to form a plasma," says Franzon.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
Maybe it was something about the rotation of the earth, or sunspots, or something bizarre like that.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
What we actually get from “Evolution: Brain Power” is a link between ourselves and every other brain-powered creature on Earth, with an emphasis on dolphins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Stipe: There are four people that would be the worst people on Earth to ask, and you’re asking one of them right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
"We are currently witnessing an El Niño event that is unprecedented in the historical record," Dr Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Nations are steeling for a disappointing report card at this month's UN biodiversity summit, with governments falling short on their commitments to protect the plants, animals and ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
“To nurture the Earth and spread love to all those who live on it. I imagine she’d be disappointed in us, if she could see how we’ve distanced ourselves from humankind.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
China’s exports of rare earths, power equipment, printed circuit boards, optical transceiver and mature-node semiconductors represent over 50% of global market share in their respective segments, GS says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Brussels also wanted "a system of export licensing for rare earths and other products" after major producer China introduced restrictions on them last year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The summit, expected to be more about optics than substance, will likely see Trump and Xi discuss matters such as artificial intelligence, rare earths and Taiwan, U.S. officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
President Donald Trump on trade, rare earths and artificial intelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
“Adiah was able to take that volume of splendor into her body nearly a hundred years ago, during the Bonding, when it rose to the earths surface in a greater magnitude than usual,” she said.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
They are earthed in this big moment, respectful of the tradition they are now associated with, the tradition of Washington’s special friends being drawn to the nation’s bosom.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 27, 2019
Far from having their heads in the clouds, they feel earthed.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 22, 2018
It would be easy to get away with a sense of Laura Linney as all sweetness and light – but she is, I think, complicatedly earthed.
From The Guardian ● May 27, 2018
Each of the sonatas is echt-Argerich: totally unpredictable from note to note, they fly like the most charming, sensual kite imaginable, ecstatically free and yet still earthed.
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2014
Kept clean, and earthed up a little, and the bugs kept off while the plants are small, they will produce an abundance of fruit.
From Soil Culture by J. H. Walden
It added that it had existing lightning and earthing protection on its biogas tanks.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2023
He started earthing under the guidance of then-Orioles strength coach Trevor Howell - “before there was much info on it.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
“Everybody’s got some funny joke about grounding or earthing or trying to make a joke about being a hippie, or whatever the funny narrative is,” he said.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
“So, earthing — I don’t actually know that much about earthing,” Paltrow admitted.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2017
The blanching will take fully six weeks, during which time there will be but little growth made—hence the necessity for promoting free growth before earthing up.
From The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition by Sutton and Sons
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.
