1
as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something
got some sort of soil on my white pants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal
the horse lifted its tail and deposited its soil on the grass
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in ground
the loose surface material in which plants naturally grow
bought rich soil to plant flowers in
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to stain
to make dirty
oil and grease soiled the mechanic's shirt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 soil
Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 17 Apr. 2025
America’s soil has been drenched with the blood of innocent men and women who died fighting — at home and abroad — to make this a better country.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2025
Cuffs, collars, and underarms are typically the first spots to become soiled.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soil
Noun
In addition to reducing waste and redirecting organic materials from the landfill, making your own compost from food scraps produces good mineral soil for your garden.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 17 Apr. 2025
America’s soil has been drenched with the blood of innocent men and women who died fighting — at home and abroad — to make this a better country.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Maria Ressa, a journalist and co-founder of one of the Philippines’ top news outlets, came under constant attack for her work documenting the human rights abuses that soiled Mr. Duterte’s presidency.
—Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2025
Cuffs, collars, and underarms are typically the first spots to become soiled.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for soil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soil
Verb
-
If Bonhoeffer’s example is used to justify more far-right Christian violence in America, that would be another tragedy — and a cruel irony that would stain the legacy of a man who gave up everything to confront a tyrant.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Pérez's manager, Enrique Paulino, spoke to reporters at the scene, his shirt stained with blood.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
For example, a small non-shedding dog that rarely goes outside won't dirty a bed nearly as fast as a large labarador that plays outside daily.—
Halee Miller Van Ryswyk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Grease dirtied the handles of the ovens, the microwave ovens and the coolers.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Even though this team isn't good at shooting threes, their defense mucks everything up enough to win games.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The Mountaineers found some success with the full court press in the third quarter and used the ball pressure to muck the game up.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Unlike a total solar eclipse, when the disk of the sun is completely blackened, an eclipsed moon does not vanish completely from the sky.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
-
But the negro resents and utterly repudiates the effort to blacken his good name by asserting that assaults upon women are peculiar to his race.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Soil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soil. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share