I. dirt ‧ y 1 S2 W3 /ˈdɜːti $ ˈdɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative dirtier , superlative dirtiest )
1 . NOT CLEAN covered in or marked by an unwanted substance OPP clean :
a stack of dirty dishes in the sink
How did you get so dirty?
dirty clothes/washing/laundry
She circled the bedroom, picking up dirty clothes.
2 . SEX relating to sex, in a way that is considered immoral or unpleasant:
kids telling dirty jokes
a dirty magazine
She looked at me as if I had said a dirty word.
have a dirty mind British English (=think about sex a lot)
dirty weekend British English (=a weekend when a man and woman who are not married to each other go away to have sex)
3 . BAD/IMMORAL used to emphasize that you think someone or something is bad, dishonest, or immoral:
You’re a dirty liar!
a dirty fighter
you and your dirty little deals
do the dirty on somebody British English (=treat someone in a way that is unfair or dishonest)
What a dirty trick!
4 . something is a dirty word if something is a dirty word, people believe it is a bad thing even if they do not know or think much about it SYN swear word :
‘Liberal’ has somehow become a dirty word in America.
5 . give somebody a dirty look to look at someone in a very disapproving way:
Susan gave her brother a dirty look.
6 . dirty trick a dishonest or unfair action, especially done by a government, company, or organization:
political dirty tricks
7 . wash your dirty linen/laundry ( also air your dirty laundry American English ) to discuss something embarrassing or bad about yourself where everyone can see, know, or hear:
The divorce has meant airing their dirty laundry in court.
8 . do sb’s dirty work to do an unpleasant or dishonest action for someone, so that they do not have to do it themselves:
I’m not talking to him; you do your own dirty work!
9 . it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it used to say that something is unpleasant to do, but that it is necessary – often used humorously
10 . DRUGS American English informal containing or possessing illegal drugs
11 . dirty bomb a bomb that contains a ↑ radioactive substance which makes the bomb more dangerous than bombs containing only traditional explosives
12 . SPORT a dirty sports event is one in which people competing in the event have illegally used drugs to improve their performance:
Many people think that the race has been a dirty event for years.
—dirtily adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ dirty not clean:
His clothes were untidy and he had dirty hands.
▪ filthy very dirty:
Each year filthy water causes millions of cases of illness.
▪ muddy covered with mud:
It had been raining hard and the path was muddy.
▪ dusty covered with dust:
the dusty shelves in the attic
▪ greasy covered with oil or grease:
Greasy food is bad for your health.
▪ grubby ( also mucky British English ) informal fairly dirty and needing to be cleaned or washed:
He was wearing a grubby white T-shirt.
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mucky fingers
▪ grimy covered with thick dirt or dirt that has been there a long time:
I couldn’t see much out of the grimy windows of the train.
▪ dingy /ˈdɪndʒi/ looking dark, dirty, and unpleasant. Used about rooms, houses, and buildings:
We worked in a dingy little office behind the station.
▪ polluted used about land, water, or air that has been made dirty:
85% of city dwellers breathe heavily polluted air.
▪ contaminated made dirty by a dangerous substance or bacteria:
The virus is mainly spread through contaminated food.
▪ squalid /ˈskwɒləd, ˈskwɒlɪd $ ˈskwɑː-/ formal extremely dirty and unpleasant. Used about the place or conditions in which someone lives:
People are living in squalid conditions, with little water and no sanitation.
▪ unhygienic /ʌnhaɪˈdʒiːnɪk◂ $ -ˈdʒe-, -ˈdʒiː-/ formal used about dirty conditions that are likely to cause disease, especially conditions in kitchens, restaurants, and hospitals:
The food was prepared under unhygienic conditions.
▪ unsanitary ( also insanitary British English ) formal used about dirty conditions that are likely to cause disease, especially because there is not a good system for getting rid of waste:
People’s health is being threatened by overcrowded and insanitary homes.
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They work for long hours in unsanitary conditions.
▪ soiled formal made dirty, especially by waste from your body:
Soiled nappies should be changed as quickly as possible.
II. dirty 2 BrE AmE adverb informal
1 . play dirty to behave in a very unfair and dishonest way, especially in a competition or game:
a team that plays dirty
2 . talk dirty to talk about sex using offensive words
3 . dirty great/dirty big British English spoken extremely big:
a dirty great snake
III. dirty 3 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle dirtied , present participle dirtying , third person singular dirties ) [intransitive and transitive]
1 . to make something dirty
2 . to make someone feel or seem bad, dishonest, or immoral:
The army’s actions dirtied its reputation.
3 . dirty your hands to do hard physical work, in which your hands become dirty