noun
dirt
durt
noun
1
Soil, earth, or any unclean substance on a surface.
"The children came in covered in dirt after playing outside."
"Wipe the dirt off your boots before coming inside."
2
(informal) Embarrassing or damaging information about someone.
"The tabloids were desperate to dig up dirt on the actor."
How to Use Dirt
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishLoose soil or grime, or (informally) scandalous information about a person.
Common pairings
covered in dirt
dig up dirt
dirt road
kick up dirt
Word Forms
dirted past tense, dirts plural, dirts singular
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Etymology
From Old Norse drit, meaning "excrement" — the word originally referred to dung before shifting to its modern sense of "soil" or "filth."