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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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 movie, featured in the Venice Spotlight section of the fest, looks to break new ground.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In this context, Lord’s has more than done its bit — no English ground has seen more swing movement or more seam movement post-pandemic.
    — Ben Jones Aug. 26, New York Times, 26 Aug. 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
  • But even the most dependable pieces eventually become too stained, scratched, or mismatched for food storage.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Clark’s denim featured unique distressing, looking as if the denim was once white and stained with coffee.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of stain
Noun
  • 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
  • Within seconds of the mudslide’s arrival, the six-story Gyirong Port building is completely consumed by the muck.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of muck
Noun
  • Most Popular Above all, Cape Town is a beach town that spoils with options for sun and sand.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Camp out under the stars near a pristine, white sand beach at Water Canyon Campground, located on Santa Rosa Island.
    — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of sand
Noun
  • The light that does reach the moon is filtered through the earth’s atmosphere, according to NASA.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Popular and literary myth tells that when martyrs die on the soil, the earth receiving their blood will give forth new fighters, thus the roses scattered on the cracking mud.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on soil

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about soil

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