dirt

Material that makes clothes or other surfaces look unclean.

• There is dirt on my shirt.
• She washed the dirt off her hands.
• This brush removes dirt from shoes.

How to use it: dirt on something (There is dirt on your sleeve.)

Similar words: grime, filth

Common phrases: remove dirt, dirt on something

The loose brown material on the ground in which plants grow.

• The children dug in the dirt.
• We drove along a dirt road.
• Cover the roots with fresh dirt.

Similar words: soil, earth

Common phrases: dirt road, dirt floor, pile of dirt

Private information or stories about someone that could harm their reputation.

• She knows some dirt on him.
• Reporters dug up dirt on the candidate.
• Nobody would share the dirt about their former boss.

How to use it: dirt on someone (The newspaper claims to have dirt on the mayor.)

Similar words: gossip, scandal

Common phrases: dirt on someone, dig up dirt