Definition of 'dirty'
Word forms: comparative dirtier
, superlative dirtiest
, 3rd person singular present tense dirties
, present participle dirtying
, past tense, past participle dirtied
2. verb
To dirty something means to cause it to become dirty.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe an action as dirty, you disapprove of it and consider it unfair, immoral, or dishonest.
[disapproval]
Dirty is also an adverb.
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
5. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
8.
See dirty look
9.
See dirty old man
10.
11.
See dirty weekend
12.
See a dirty word
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
dirty in British English
adjectiveWord forms: dirtier, dirtiest
3.
causing one to become grimy
a dirty job
10.
(of an industrial process, energy source, etc) causing harm to the environment
Compare clean (sense 6) 11.
14. See be dirty on
15. See dirty dog
16. See dirty linen
17. See dirty pool
18. See dirty word
19. See dirty work
20. See do the dirty on
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
dirtily (ˈdirtily) adverb
dirtiness (ˈdirtiness)
noun
Word Frequency
dirty in American English
adjectiveWord forms: ˈdirtier or ˈdirtiest
1.
soiled or soiling with dirt; unclean
2.
causing one to be soiled with dirt
a dirty occupation
4.
obscene; pornographic
dirty jokes
7.
unfair; dishonest; unsportsmanlike
a dirty player
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈdirtied or ˈdirtying
13.
to make or become dirty; soil; tarnish; stain
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE: dirty is applied to that which is covered or filled with any kind of dirt and is the broadest
of these terms [a dirty face, a dirty room]; soiled generally suggests the presence of superficial dirt in an amount sufficient to impair
cleanness or freshness [a soiled shirt]; grimy suggests soot or granular dirt deposited on or ingrained in a surface [a miner with a grimy face]; filthy is applied to that which is disgustingly dirty [filthy as a pigpen]; foul implies extreme filth that is grossly offensive or loathsome because of its stench,
putridity, or corruption [foul air] OPPOSITE: clean
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
dirtily (ˈdirtily)
adverb
dirtiness (ˈdirtiness)
noun
Word origin
ME drittiWord Frequency
dirty in American English
(ˈdɜːrti) (adjective dirtier, dirtiest, verb dirtied, dirtying)
adjective
8.
She gave me a dirty look
He made a dirty crack about the cooking
10. (of the weather)
stormy; squally
It looks dirty to windward
14. Currency (of currency floats)
manipulated, as by a central bank influencing or changing exchange rates (opposed to clean)
15. See do (someone) dirty
transitive verb or intransitive verb
16.
to make or become dirty
adverb
SYNONYMS 1. grimy, defiled. dirty, filthy, foul, squalid refer to that which is not clean. dirty is applied to that which is filled or covered with dirt so that it is unclean or
defiled: dirty clothes. filthy is an emphatic word suggesting something that is excessively soiled or dirty: filthy streets. Both dirty and filthy can refer to obscenity: a dirty mind, a filthy novel. foul implies an uncleanness that is grossly offensive to the senses: a foul odor. squalid, applied usually to dwellings or surroundings, implies dirtiness combined with poverty:
a squalid tenement. 3. base, vulgar, low, shabby, groveling. 4. nasty, lascivious, lecherous. 10. rainy, foul, sloppy, disagreeable, nasty. 12. dull, dark, sullied, clouded. 16. soil, befoul, sully.18. informal
in a lewd manner
to talk dirty
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
dirtily adverb
dirtiness
noun
Word origin
[1520–30; dirt + -y1]Examples of 'dirty' in a sentence
dirty
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In other languages
dirty
British English: dirty
/ˈdɜːtɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If something is dirty, it is marked or covered with stains, spots, or mud, and needs to be cleaned.
He had dirty fingernails.
- American English: dirty /ˈdɜrti/
- Arabic: قَذِر
- Brazilian Portuguese: sujo
- Chinese: 肮脏的
- Croatian: prljav
- Czech: špinavý
- Danish: beskidt
- Dutch: vies
- European Spanish: sucio
- Finnish: likainen
- French: sale
- German: schmutzig
- Greek: βρόμικος
- Italian: sporco
- Japanese: 汚れた
- Korean: 더러운
- Norwegian: skitten
- Polish: brudny
- European Portuguese: sujo
- Romanian: murdar
- Russian: грязный
- Latin American Spanish: sucio
- Swedish: smutsig
- Thai: สกปรก
- Turkish: kirli
- Ukrainian: брудний
- Vietnamese: bẩn
British English: dirty
VERB /ˈdɜːtɪ/
To dirty something means to cause it to become dirty.
He was afraid the dog's hairs might dirty the seats.
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Definition of dirty from the Collins English Dictionary
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