dirty

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈdɜːrti/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈdɝti/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(dûrtē)

Inflections of 'dirty' (adj):
dirtier
adj comparative
dirtiest
adj superlative
Inflections of 'dirty' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
dirties
v 3rd person singular
dirtying
v pres p
dirtied
v past
dirtied
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dirt•y /ˈdɜrti/USA pronunciation   adj., -i•er, -i•est, v., -ied, -y•ing, adv. 
adj. 
  1. soiled with dirt:had to wash his dirty hands.
  2. spreading dirt; soiling:dirty smoke.
  3. vile;
    mean;
    deserving contempt:a dirty scoundrel.
  4. obscene;
    pornographic;
    lewd:a dirty joke; dirty pictures.
  5. undesirable or unpleasant;
    disagreeable:You left the dirty work for me.
  6. very unfortunate or regrettable:a dirty shame!
  7. not fair or sportsmanlike;
    dishonest;
    dishonorable:a dirty fighter.
  8. hostile or resentful:to give someone a dirty look.
  9. Militarynot bright or clear;
    somewhat dull:dirty blond hair.
  10. Informal Termsreceived through illegal means:dirty money from organized crime.

v. 
  1. to make or become dirty: [+ object]Try not to dirty your new white shoes.[no object]Those white socks dirty easily.

adv. 
  1. Informal Termsin a mean or underhand way:The other high school football team played dirty.
  2. [Informal.]in a lewd manner:to talk dirty.
dirt•i•ly /ˈdɜrtəli/USA pronunciation  adv. 
dirt•i•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
dirt•y  (dûrtē),USA pronunciation adj., dirt•i•er, dirt•i•est, v., dirt•ied, dirt•y•ing, adv. 
adj. 
  1. soiled with dirt;
    foul;
    unclean:dirty laundry.
  2. spreading or imparting dirt;
    soiling:dirty smoke.
  3. vile;
    mean;
    sordid;
    contemptible:to play a dirty trick on someone.
  4. obscene;
    pornographic;
    lewd:a dirty joke.
  5. undesirable or unpleasant;
    thankless:He left the dirty work for me.
  6. very unfortunate or regrettable:That's a dirty shame!
  7. not fair or sportsmanlike;
    unscrupulous:a dirty fighter.
  8. hostile, insulting, contemptuous, or resentful:She gave me a dirty look. He made a dirty crack about the cooking.
  9. Military(of a nuclear weapon) producing a relatively large amount of radioactive fallout.
  10. (of the weather) stormy;
    squally:It looks dirty to windward.
  11. Informal Termsobtained through illegal or disreputable means:dirty money.
  12. appearing as if soiled;
    dark-colored;
    dingy;
    murky.
  13. Slang Termsusing or in possession of narcotics.
  14. Banking, Business[Foreign Exchange.](of currency floats) manipulated, as by a central bank influencing or changing exchange rates (opposed to clean).
  15. Idioms do (someone) dirty, [Slang.]to treat unfairly or reprehensibly, as by cheating or slandering.

v.t., v.i. 
  1. to make or become dirty.

adv. 
  1. Informal Termsin a mean, unscrupulous, or underhand way:to play dirty.
  2. [Informal.]in a lewd manner:to talk dirty.
  • dirt + -y1 1520–30
dirti•ly, adv. 
dirti•ness, n. 
    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 that results from the slovenly indifference often associated 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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dirty /ˈdɜːtɪ/ adj (dirtier, dirtiest)
  1. covered or marked with dirt; filthy
    • obscene; salacious: dirty books
    • sexually clandestine: a dirty weekend
  2. causing one to become grimy: a dirty job
  3. (of a colour) not clear and bright; impure
  4. unfair; dishonest; unscrupulous; unsporting
  5. mean; nasty: a dirty cheat
  6. scandalous; unkind
  7. revealing dislike or anger
  8. (of weather) rainy or squally; stormy
  9. (of an industrial process, energy source, etc) causing harm to the environment Compare clean
  10. (of an explosive device) modified to cause radioactive contamination Compare clean
  11. (of food) indulgent but uncomplicated: dirty fries topped with cheese
  12. dirty lineninformal intimate secrets, esp those that might give rise to gossip
  13. dirty workunpleasant or illicit activity
  14. do the dirty onBrit informal to behave meanly or unkindly towards
vb (dirties, dirtying, dirtied)
  1. to make or become dirty; stain; soil
ˈdirtily adv ˈdirtiness n
'dirty' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: don't dirty your [new, church, fancy] clothes, dirty [clothes, hands, car, dishes, glasses], [wash, rinse, clean] your dirty [clothes], more...

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