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
Crumbled sidewalks were replaced by planks that covered the sludge that concealed the ancient wood fretwork that buried the bones of the metropolis and its people.
—
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The second is a 100-day sludge line that will poison the reserves oil-hungry nations are racing to drain.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The smog season regularly did a number on our mile-high mountains, wrapping them in a brown cloak of invisibility until wind and rain swept the sludge away.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
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.
Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
The second is a 100-day sludge line that will poison the reserves oil-hungry nations are racing to drain.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
The smog season regularly did a number on our mile-high mountains, wrapping them in a brown cloak of invisibility until wind and rain swept the sludge away.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
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. 2026.
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
