1
a
: a lump or mass especially of earth or clay
b
: soil, earth
2
: oaf, dolt
cloddish adjective
cloddishness noun
cloddy adjective

Examples of clod in a Sentence

Her husband's such a clod. despite his imposing size, he's no simple clod
Recent Examples on the Web Canes lay in piles on their sides, ready for the volunteers to knock off dirt clods that otherwise would keep them from drying out, leaving them as a possible threat with the next flood. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024 The drift that had formed against the glass crumbled into a pile of fluffy clods. Emily Harnett, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024 Insert the fork into the ground vertically, then wiggle the handle back and forth a bit to loosen clods of soil without lifting the soil and turning it over. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 29 Feb. 2024 Garland’s hipster fakery is so outrageous and ludicrous that only a clod would take its indecency seriously. Armond White, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024 This constable is a total clod, but the nursing home manager is extremely stupid for calling the police. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023 When something the robot has driven over (e.g. rock, dirt clod) touches the underside of the robot, that object supports some of the robot’s weight. IEEE Spectrum, 6 July 2017 The real standouts are the thick, bone-in pork chops, which have a beautiful pink smoke ring along the bone end, and the lean shoulder clod, an old Texas cut with long beefy strands beneath a thick, smoky bark. Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2023 The rest of Burks' team took turns with the federal agents, hauling full buckets up the stairs then pressing clods of dirt through steel-mesh screens. Rowan Moore Gerety, WIRED, 13 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clod.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English clodde, from Old English clod- (in clodhamer fieldfare)

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of clod was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near clod

Cite this Entry

“Clod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clod. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

clod

noun
1
: a lump or mass especially of earth or clay
2
: a person who is dull or not sensitive : oaf
cloddish adjective
cloddy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on clod

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