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as in land
the solid part of our planet's surface as distinguished from the sea and air at the first sound of gunfire we hit the dirt

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal tread carefully, as there's cow dirt all over the pasture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dirt It's got great cushioning and traction for terrain with gravel, rocks, or dirt, and with a more streamlined look than other hiking footwear. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2024 No officers picked it up, because there may be some DNA evidence tied to the backpack or even the dirt on the ground surrounding it. Elise Hammond, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024 The design is lightweight, yet still delivers a powerful suction that picks up dirt and debris on the first pass. Megan Schaltegger, People.com, 7 Dec. 2024 Imagine drinking orange juice that contains the dirt the orange tree grew in — no thanks. Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dirt 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt
Noun
  • This includes tender perennials like dahlias, cannas, gladiolus, agapanthus, and elephant ears. Plants in Fluctuating Temperatures In regions with frequent freeze-thaw cycles, especially in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and 8, soil can shift and expose roots to damage.
    Macie Stump, Southern Living, 12 Dec. 2024
  • In 2024, researchers published findings in the journal Nature that showed European permaculture projects cultivated soil that sequestered significantly more carbon than what is found on nearby traditional farms.
    Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Barriers To New Development: Is there available land nearby, and what are the entitlement barriers to building competing shopping centers?
    Mike Hazinski, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • That evening, in the no man’s land, a field strewn with empty water bottles, four Shia families sat on a picnic blanket around a burner attached to a gas tank, looking scared and drinking yerba mate.
    Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Lovick, with friends Je-Quan Irving and Floyd Washington, cleaned out the muck and stocked the puddle with a 50-bag of goldfish from the neighborhood pet store.
    The Editors, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2024
  • The mire covering Alicia Montero is the signature uniform of the impromptu army of volunteers who for a third day Friday shoveled and swept out the muck and debris that filled the small town of Chiva in Valencia after flash floods swept through the region.
    Teresa Medrano, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The resort itself, a modern build of canvas, stone, and walls of concrete mixed with elephant dung (an ode to the pachyderms and a textural accent) has an intimate atmosphere and just 10 suites.
    Tanveer Badal, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Despite the official ban, about 6% of the 1140 sampling events included cattle dung.
    ByGeoffrey Kamadi, science.org, 10 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • According to Evers' order, the American flag and the Wisconsin state flag will fly at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations belonging to the state of Wisconsin.
    Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The printer involves a movable framework with a printhead attached to a rig that moves across a ground layer.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Renewable energy sources such as food, animal waste, and sewage sludge make aviation fuels sustainable.
    Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Crocodiles hunt for prey in sewage ponds, hippos lumber past industrial buildings, and zebras and buffalo graze contentedly by the roadside, seemingly oblivious to their human audience.
    Tommy Trenchard, NPR, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Whatever happened to elegant, elevated and epic language in lieu of vulgarities that flourish in the sewers and gutters of morality?
    Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Policy proposals aside, there's been name-calling, vulgarity, and plain old meanness.
    Jon LaPook, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • My one big gripe with this season has always been the location of the tribe camps, which were basically mud pits.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
  • The animal was about a foot long and used its head, rather than its arms, to dig into the mud.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near dirt

Cite this Entry

“Dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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