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
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
More than a billion gallons of coal ash slurry breached a containment pond, inundating 300 acres with toxic sludge and contaminating nearby waterways.
—
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Only the Greater Los Angeles area distributed more sludge to farmers during the same period.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
Nationally, more than half of sewage sludge was treated and spread on land, according to one study; 19 billion pounds of it was spread on American farms between 2016 and 2021, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found in 2022.
—Alejandra Martinez, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Dec. 2024
After the sludge is treated in Fort Worth, it is sent to farms in Johnson, Hill and Wise counties.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sludge
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Only the Greater Los Angeles area distributed more sludge to farmers during the same period.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
Nationally, more than half of sewage sludge was treated and spread on land, according to one study; 19 billion pounds of it was spread on American farms between 2016 and 2021, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found in 2022.
—Alejandra Martinez, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Dec. 2024
After the sludge is treated in Fort Worth, it is sent to farms in Johnson, Hill and Wise counties.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sludge
Cite this Entry
“Sludge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sludge. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
sludge
1 of 2 noun
: 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
L. K. AltmanLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share