sludge

noun

ˈsləj 

1

: mud, mire

especially : a muddy deposit (as on a riverbed) : ooze

2

: a muddy or slushy mass, deposit, or sediment: such as

a

: precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes

b

: muddy sediment in a steam boiler

c

: a precipitate or settling (such as a mixture of impurities and acid) from a mineral oil

3

: slush sense 5

sludgy

ˈslə-jē 

adjective

Synonyms

• guck
• gook
• mire
• muck
• mud
• ooze
• slime
• slop
• slush

Examples of sludge in a Sentence

after a day of heavy rain, the fairgrounds had turned into pure sludge

I can't bring myself to read that sludge.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sewage sludge has now been spread on millions of acres across the country. —Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Despite the film’s best efforts to melt its characters into the vast sludge of superhero cinema, the union between Eddie and Venom is simply too pure to be diluted down to nothing. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 23 Oct. 2024

For her recreation, Roan maintained the integrity of the source material, bravely committing to the bit as purple icy sludge sails into view from off camera and splashes her in the face. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 2 Jan. 2025

After testing in snow, sludge, sleet, and icy conditions, these are the best ice scrapers that PEOPLE tested. —Camryn Rabideau, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slugge, perhaps alteration of slicche mud, slush; akin to Old High German slīh mire

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sludge

noun

ˈsləj 

1

: mud, mire

2

: a muddy or slushy mass

especially : solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes

sludgy

ˈsləj-ē 

adjective

Medical Definition

sludge

1 of 2 noun

ˈsləj 

: a semisolid precipitated mass or deposit

biliary sludge

especially : sludged blood

sludge

2 of 2 intransitive verb

sludged; sludging

: to form sludge

positions that cause blood to sludge

—L. K. Altman