dirt
noun /dɜːt/
  /dɜːrt/
[uncountable]Idioms - any substance that makes something dirty, for example dust, soil or mud
- His clothes were covered in dirt.
 - First remove any grease or dirt from the surface.
 - The problem with white is that it soon shows the dirt.
 
Extra Examples- Clean your face with soap to remove accumulated dirt and oil.
 - Dirt had accumulated in the corners of the windows.
 - He had streaks of dirt all over his face.
 - He rubbed the dirt from his face.
 - He swept the dirt out onto the porch.
 - I tried to rub off a dirt stain on my sleeve.
 - Massage your scalp to loosen any dirt.
 - She brushed the loose dirt off her coat.
 - Sunlight steamed through the dirt particles in the air.
 - The white rug really shows the dirt.
 - This material does not attract much dirt.
 
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excess
 - loose
 - ingrained
 - …
 
- speck
 - streak
 - layer
 - …
 
- be covered in
 - be covered with
 - brush off
 - …
 
- accumulate
 - cover
 
- fleck
 - particle
 - speck
 - …
 
 - (especially North American English) loose earth or soil
- He picked up a handful of dirt and threw it at them.
 - Pack the dirt firmly round the plants.
 - They lived in a shack with a dirt floor.
 - I slammed the shovel into the dirt and started to dig.
 
Synonyms soilsoil- mud
 - dust
 - clay
 - land
 - earth
 - dirt
 - ground
 
- soil the top layer of the earth in which plants grow:
- Plant the seedlings in damp soil.
 
 - mud wet soil that is soft and sticky:
- The car wheels got stuck in the mud.
 
 - dust a fine powder that consists of very small pieces of rock, earth, etc:
- A cloud of dust rose as the truck set off.
 
 - clay a type of heavy sticky soil that becomes hard when it is baked and is used to make things such as pots and bricks:
- The tiles are made of clay.
 
 - land an area of ground, especially of a particular type:
- an area of rich, fertile land
 
 - earth the substance that plants grow in Earth is often used about the soil found in gardens or used for gardening: She put some earth into the pot.
 - dirt (especially North American English) soil, especially loose soil:
- Pack the dirt firmly around the plants.
 
 - ground an area of soil:
- The car got stuck in the muddy ground.
 - They drove across miles of rough, stony ground.
 
 
- good/rich soil/land/earth
 - fertile/infertile soil/land/ground
 - to dig the soil/mud/clay/land/earth/ground
 - to cultivate the soil/land/ground
 
Extra Examples- He grew up on a dirt farm in upstate New York.
 - He landed hard on the packed dirt.
 - He picked himself up off the cold dirt.
 - Her fingernails raked the soft dirt beneath her.
 - Rose picked the ball up off the infield dirt.
 - She filled the hole with loose dirt.
 - The blow knocked him against the dirt wall.
 - The front lawn has patches of bare dirt.
 - The men started to shovel dirt into the open grave.
 - They threw dirt into my face.
 - They throw sticks and dirt clods up into the air.
 - a couple of inches of fill dirt
 - a floor of dry dirt
 - children playing in the dirt
 - the Palermo dirt course
 - the dirt yard in front of the barn
 - the mounds of fresh dirt over all the graves
 
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excess
 - loose
 - soft
 - …
 
- layer
 
- be covered in
 - be covered with
 - dig
 - …
 
- course
 - driveway
 - lane
 - …
 
- in the dirt
 
 - (informal) unpleasant or harmful information about somebody that could be used to damage their reputation, career, etc.
- Do you have any dirt on the new guy?
 
Extra Examples- He could dig up so much dirt on her.
 - We need to get some dirt on her.
 - He'd been trying to dig up some dirt on his political rival.
 
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + dirt- have
 - get
 - dig
 - …
 
- dirt on
 
- dish the dirt
 
 - (informal) solid waste matter from the body synonym excrement
- dog dirt
 
 
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Norse drit ‘excrement’, an early sense in English.
Idioms 
dig the dirt | dig up dirt (on somebody) 
- to discover and reveal information about somebody that could damage them
- They hired private investigators to dig up dirt on their political opponents.
 - She has come to dig the dirt on her old rival.
 
 
dish the dirt (on somebody) 
- (informal) to tell people unkind or unpleasant things about somebody, especially about their private life
- She loves to dish the dirt on her sisters.
 
 
drag somebody through the 'mud/'dirt | drag somebody's name through the 'mud/'dirt 
- (informal) to criticize or say bad things about somebody in public, in a way that is unfair
- The paper has dragged his name through the mud.
 - They feel their agency has been dragged through the mud by the press.
 - Football's good name is being dragged through the dirt.
 
 
eat dirt 
- (informal) to accept bad treatment and being made to feel small or stupid
- Her mother ate dirt in poorly-paid jobs just so the family could stay in the country.
 
 
treat somebody like dirt 
- (informal) to treat somebody with no respect at all
- They treat their workers like dirt.