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🌱 Soil or earth 🗣️ Gossip 🧼 Something unclean 💩 Feces 🚜 Unpaved
dirt

dirt

135 4.8
Secret information that harms someone's reputation
  • noun
  • /dɜrt/
  • Informal
translation icon : trapos sucios
  • I mean, this guy had dirt on everybody in the world.
  • dig up dirt

So he has dirt on a lot of powerful people.

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Examples

  • Journalists are taught to investigate, dig for the dirt, and expose the negative side of any story.

    Academic text (2009)

  • What if they find even more dirt?

    House of Gucci (2021)

  • So he has dirt on a lot of powerful people.

    Lex Fridman

  • So someone like that has a lot of dirt on a lot of people, knows a lot.

    Shawn Ryan Show

  • I told them about some dirt that had gone on at the company that I knew about.

  • See if you can get some dirt on them.

    Honey Girls (2021)

  • I was surprised that they might think I was trying to dig up dirt or make people look bad.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Listen, Trent has a list of all the dirt on everyone at this school.

  • Because he systematically collected dirt on people.

  • Do you have any dirt on what happened at the meeting yesterday?

Synonyms

talk
vsdirt
  • Informal
868 3.2

Informal conversation about other people that may not be true

involves revealing private secrets that can harm reputation rather than casual chat
gossip
vsdirt
  • Informal
184 1.1

Informal talk about other people's private lives, often with rumors

focuses on talk that reveals secrets likely to harm someone's reputation
grapevine
vsdirt
  • Informal
27 3.5

Rumor spread by people talking rather than by officials

focuses on informal speech that reveals private secrets rather than channel of spread
dirty laundry
vsdirt
  • Informal
22 5.3

Personal secrets that could cause embarrassment if made public

is the informal discussing of those matters that can damage someone's reputation
scuttlebutt
vsdirt
  • Informal
11 8.8

Rumor or gossip, often not confirmed and shared informally

is talk that reveals private secrets likely to harm reputation, not merely unconfirmed rumor
inside scoop
vsdirt
  • Literature
10 5.5

Secret information that only a few people know about a company or event

is informal talk that exposes damaging secrets rather than trusted confidential facts
malicious gossip
vsdirt
1 7.3

Rumours that try to hurt someone's reputation by spreading private facts

is informal talk that may reveal secrets but not always to harm
dirty linen
vsdirt
  • Informal
1 7.9

Private family or personal matters that embarrass people if the public finds out

is casual talk that exposes those family matters and risks reputational harm
gossip and hearsay
vsdirt
  • Informal
3.3

Rumors people tell that are not proven true

is informal talk that tends to expose private matters with reputational risk
backbiting
vsdirt
7.2

Showing mean gossip or criticism about someone who is not present

focuses on revealing private secrets rather than general negative talk about someone

Antonyms

compliment
342 1.6

A polite remark that praises someone or something

praise
161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

Idioms

dirt cheap
  • Informal
14 2.8

Very cheap and costing almost nothing

to hit pay dirt
  • Informal
8 7.5

To find big success or money after trying hard

to eat dirt
  • Informal
2 8.9

To admit you are wrong and accept feeling ashamed, often unwillingly

dirt on someone
  • Informal
7.2

Secret facts that could make someone look bad if people know them

to hide the dirt
  • Informal
8.2

To keep secret wrong actions or mistakes from other people

Compounds

dirt bike
15 3.2

A light motorcycle with strong tires and springs for riding on rough unpaved ground

pay dirt
8 7.5

A discovery or idea that makes a lot of money after hard work

dirt track
4 3.7

A racing track for cars or motorcycles with a surface of packed earth rather than pavement

pay dirt
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Earth or rock that has valuable minerals worth mining

dirt ball
  • Offensive
8.7

A person who is very unpleasant and treats others badly

dirt file
  • Literature
8.4

A set of secret bad facts about a person kept to use against them

dirt sifter
  • US
4.9

A garden tool that separates soil from stones and debris

dog dirt
  • NSFW
7.5

Poop left by a dog outside where people walk

How Damaging

scandal
  • Literature
564 2.8
exposé
  • Literature
26 7.3
dirt
  • Informal
135 4.8
gossip
  • Informal
184 1.1
rumor
  • US
853 1.2

Surface Forms

dirt singular
dirts plural

Etymology

Dirt was used for 'filth', so people began to call bad secret stories 'dirt' because such facts make someone's reputation 'dirty'.