earth

1 of 2

noun

ˈərth 

1

: the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe

especially : cultivable soil

2

: the sphere of mortal life as distinguished from spheres of spirit life compare heaven, hell

3

a

: areas of land as distinguished from sea and air

b

: the solid footing formed of soil : ground

4

often capitalized : the planet on which we live that is third in order from the sun see Planets Table

5

a

: the people of the planet Earth

b

: the mortal human body

c

: the pursuits, interests, and pleasures of earthly life as distinguished from spiritual concerns

6

: the lair of a burrowing animal

7

: an excessive amount of money

—used with the

real suede, which costs the earth to clean

—Joanne Winship

earthlike

ˈərth-ˌlīk 

adjective

earth

2 of 2

verb

earthed; earthing; earths

transitive verb

1

: to drive to hiding in the earth

2

: to draw soil about (plants)

—often used with up

3

chiefly British : ground sense 4

intransitive verb

of a hunted animal : to hide in the ground

Phrases

on earth

—used as an intensive

to find out what on earth he was up to

—Michael Holroyd

Synonyms

Noun

• globe
• planet
• world

Examples of earth in a Sentence

Noun

The moisture will eventually fall to earth in the form of rain or snow.

We could feel the earth shake.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

How on earth is this better than the scene on closing day? —Frederick Dreier and Adam Roy, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024

But what happens when the economy falls back to earth?… California’s Foreign Policy California is the most populous state in the United States. —James O. Goldsborough, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

Step into nature, hike, perhaps try earthing (which is a practice of removing your shoes and walking on the earth to help rid you of stresses or clear your mind). —Krystyna Chávez, Marie Claire, 14 Jan. 2020

The outer cylinder is earthed while the inner one is not, creating a capacitor. —The Economist, 1 Aug. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English erthe, from Old English eorthe; akin to Old High German erda earth, Greek era

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing earth

• (a) heaven on earth
• alkaline earth metal
• brown earth
• diatomaceous earth
• down-to-earth
• earth color
• earth mother
• earth science
• earth-shattering
• earth-sheltered
• earth station
• earth tone
• from the four corners of the earth
• fuller's earth
• infusorial earth
• low earth orbit
• move heaven and earth
• on the face of the earth
• promise (someone) the stars/moon/earth/world
• rare earth
• rare earth element
• scorched-earth
• scum of the earth
• the ends of the earth
• the face of the earth
• the salt of the earth
• wipe (someone or something) off the face of the earth

Kids Definition

earth

noun

ˈərth

1

: the soft or granular material composing part of the surface of the globe

especially : soil that can be cultivated

2

: the place of mortal life as distinguished from heaven and hell

3

: land as distinguished from sea and air : ground

4

often capitalized : the planet on which we live see planet