soil 1 of 3

noun (1)

Definition of soilnext
1
as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something got some sort of soil on my white pants

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Relevance

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2
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal the horse lifted its tail and deposited its soil on the grass

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soil

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
as in ground
the loose surface material in which plants naturally grow bought rich soil to plant flowers in

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2
as in land
the solid part of our planet's surface as distinguished from the sea and air happy to have soil under my feet after that long sea voyage

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soil

3 of 3

verb

ˈsȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce soil (audio)
as in to stain
to make dirty oil and grease soiled the mechanic's shirt

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of soil
Noun
The trees would absorb enormous volumes of water, thrive in the sandy soil and slow coastal erosion. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Top dressing your lawn improves soil health, helping your grass grow stronger, greener, and more resilient over time. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
This famed chemist had previously extolled the virtues of fertilizer as the answer to soil exhaustion, so his sudden reversal on the issue left a lasting impression on his contemporaries. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Root vegetables like potatoes and carrots require some degree of tilling to harvest at scale and is less damaging to soil health than glyphosate. — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for soil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soil
  1. dirt
  2. dung
  3. ground
  4. land
  5. stain
  6. muck
  7. sand
  8. earth
Noun
  • Sulfates are cleansing agents that attract oil, product buildup, and dirt.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Exit the parking lot in the southeast corner and head to the Lower Beacon Trail, a wide flat dirt path parallel to the road.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirt
Noun
  • Behind the cookline equipment, the rodent dung shared space with 20 dead roaches.
    — David J. Neal July 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • When not elbow-deep in dino dung or outrunning raptors, Laura Dern's heartfelt performance in Jurassic Park shows why women really deserve to inherit the Earth — and all of the acting awards.
    — Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026
Definition of dung
Noun
  • The decision to present Nico to the St James’ crowd ahead of the West Bromwich Albion Carabao Cup tie was inspired, perpetuating the positivity brought about by the training-ground announcement and opening-day Liverpool draw.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague on Monday ruled in Pakistan's favor over the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, saying the historic pact remains fully binding and that India had no valid grounds for ending or suspending it.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of ground
Noun
  • Those payloads give crews a visible way to assess where training rockets land during live-fire exercises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, he’s spent August anxiously watching the orange skies from his house in the northern Nevada hills through two consecutive and adjacent wild-land fires, the Bug and Hawk Fires.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of land
Verb
  • The Lincoln, the length of its hull stained by rust from the extended time at sea, pulled into the port of Laem Chabang, not far from the city of Pattaya, a prime destination for US military rest-and-relaxation visits since the Vietnam War.
    — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The white cocoons are torn through and stained with yellow-brown secretions.
    — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stain
Noun
  • The film could have only benefited from narrowing its scope away from all the government muck, an attempt to flesh out a mythology for its villains that are scarier simply as faceless, mysterious weapons of mass destruction.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The deep muck provides a cap for the shallow aquifer, helping to clean and filter freshwater that supplies drinking water for Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and parts of Palm Beach County.
    — Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of muck
Noun
  • Lunches can be taken at Da Gioia’s tiny stretch of smooth pebble beach (the rocky Amalfi’s coast version of white sand) at Marina Piccola, with space enough for 42 sun loungers at low tide and a private rentable section for 6-8 more.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • After much frustration from all parties, a line was drawn in the sand.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of sand
Noun
  • In the middle of the BioCharger, within the geometric, connected plates of glass, is a Tesla coil, which ionizes the surrounding 12 glass tubes that hold six noble gases, the gases in the earth’s atmosphere.
    — Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • His first responded to Trump’s April 2025 imposition of a 145 percent tariff on imports from China; Beijing then halted global exports of rare-earth permanent magnets, another essential input for car seats, windshield wipers, motors, and cameras.
    — Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of earth

Browse Nearby Words

soigné
soil
soilage
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Cite this Entry

“Soil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soil. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on soil

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about soil

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