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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

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 dirt The head is covered with a microfiber pad to wipe away any dirt and other residues that come loose. Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025 The shallow knobs are great for pavement and light dirt or sand terrains. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2025 The project kept dirt under his nails for the better part of a decade. Laura Mallonee, Wired News, 12 Apr. 2025 In the center of the card, next to a phone pole, is a hog roaming the dirt Main Street — with what seems to be several smaller pigs. Ray Hanley, Arkansas Online, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dirt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirt
Noun
  • Teams will eventually undertake soil studies and drone-based, multispectral ground sensing to measure potential improvements to soil quality and carbon capture capacity on farmland that uses these techniques.
    Robin Roenker, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • To minimize outdoor pollution during poor air quality, officials urged people to carpool; telecommute; reduce trips or take public transportation; slow down when driving on dirt roads; and stabilize loose soils.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Last week, the Department of the Interior announced that land would be transferred to the Army, allowing the military would of federal land to support Border Patrol for a period of three years.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Those canals, together with the ingenious system of chinampas, or floating plots of farming land, are located southeast of Mexico City, and serve as the legacy of a pre-Hispanic agriculture.
    Gwendolina Duval, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The war settled into a brutal battle of attrition with limited movement along a frontline stretching for 600 miles through muck of eastern Ukraine.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The Clippers’ success lately isn’t just stemming from them making games ugly with their defense and slogging through the muck.
    Zach Harper, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Ancient Egyptians also revered dung beetles because the rolling of the dung balls reminded them of the sun god rolling the sun across the sky, according to the Israel Museum.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Living in the wood economy means relying on wood, dung, and other basic bioenergy.
    Ted Nordhaus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2016
Noun
  • While on the road - Opt for the middle lanes and remain on higher ground.
    STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Under the county’s ownership, the old prison and grounds became a park, a golf course, three schools, and an arts center.
    Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief on Tuesday demanded that Mexico put an end to the unfettered flow of raw sewage from the Tijuana region into Southern California.
    Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Rivers, including the Potomac in Washington, smelled of raw sewage and contained toxic chemicals.
    Jeremy Orr, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Lashing out from the White House, Mr. Trump used a vulgarity to accuse Mr. Xi and Mr. Lam of plotting to exploit the United States.
    Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Those incidents range from keying swastikas to spray-painting other vulgarities.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Offensively, the Bucks can’t keep playing in mud while the Pacers are playing on a fastbreak runway.
    Brian Sampson, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • The other features walls and a wooden pyramid installation covered in yellow mud.
    Emily Wilson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirt. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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