in the dirt

phrase

baseball, of a pitch
: having hit the ground near home plate before reaching the catcher
He swung and missed at a curveball in the dirt.

Examples of in the dirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The bull riders—including the current champion, 20-year-old John Crimber—stand with their cowboy hat over their heart, boots shuffling nervously in the dirt. — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026 In the eighth, Duran was thrown out trying to advance to third on a ball in the dirt to end the inning. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 Edge rusher Bud Dupree sniffed out a screen pass and forced a throw in the dirt; then rookie edge rusher Akheem Mesidor had a sack off the edge. — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Six of those changeups — nearly a quarter — were balls in the dirt. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the dirt

Rhymes for in the dirt

See All Rhymes for in the dirt

Browse Nearby Words

in the direction of (something)
in the dirt
in the distance
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“In the dirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20dirt. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All