sludge
mud, mire, or ooze; slush.
a deposit of ooze at the bottom of a body of water.
any of various more or less mudlike deposits or mixtures.
the sediment in a steam boiler or water tank.
broken ice, as on the sea.
a mixture of some finely powdered substance and water.
sediment deposited during the treatment of sewage.
Also called activated sludge. Bacteriology. sewage sediment that contains a heavy growth of microorganisms, resulting from vigorous aeration.
a fine, mudlike powder produced by a mining drill.
Origin of sludge
1Other words from sludge
- de-sludge, verb (used with object), de-sludged, de-sludg·ing.
Words Nearby sludge
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sludge in a sentence
Forensic tests showed the birds died after becoming coated in sludge, Hubbard said.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. | David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey also used the powers of their separate agencies to cite waste haulers for spilling sludge along roadways.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. | David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMeat, dairy, and processed foods” should be avoided, she says, because they are “tracking toxic sludge through your baby house.
From ‘Clueless’ to Clueless: Alicia Silverstone’s ‘The Kind Mama’ | Lizzie Crocker | April 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRain had fallen heavily overnight and the streets were caked in sludge.
Inside a Russian-Occupied Police Station in Ukraine | David Patrikarakos | April 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey describe their genre as “SURF SEX sludge AND GARBAGE,” and grew up rocking out to Elvis.
Craziest SXSW Band Names: Perfect Pussy, Death By Unga Bunga, and More | Marlow Stern | March 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When the flood went down, I found it near the middle of the parairy, half buried in the sludge.
The Hunters' Feast | Mayne ReidA soft sludge as it came noiselessly to rest beneath the glazed chintz awnings of the Butterfly Center station.
Ptomaine Street | Carolyn WellsThe sludge was then lifted and thrown upon an inclined screen and down the shoot over the side of the bank.
In the mean time, Rust and sludge became exceedingly sociable.
sludge must be right in this; otherwise the theologians would not have had such a successful run.
British Dictionary definitions for sludge
/ (slʌdʒ) /
soft mud, snow, etc
any deposit or sediment
a surface layer of ice that has a slushy appearance
(in sewage disposal) the solid constituents of sewage that precipitate during treatment and are removed for subsequent purification
Origin of sludge
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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