2
: a muddy or slushy mass, deposit, or sediment: such as
a
: precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment processes
b
: muddy sediment in a steam boiler
c
: a precipitate or settling (such as a mixture of impurities and acid) from a mineral oil
3
Examples of sludge in a Sentence
after a day of heavy rain, the fairgrounds had turned into pure sludge
I can't bring myself to read that sludge.
Recent Examples on the Web
Regulators suspect a significant portion of Stauffer’s waste is alum mud, a radioactive sludge that is a byproduct of producing aluminum sulfate.
—
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
In fact, they’re found in high concentrations in the waste material leftover from previous mining operations—like coal ash in West Virginia or the highly-toxic sludge found in the Berkley Pit in Butte, Montana.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 8 May 2024
The town manager said the issue stemmed from a sludge disposal company, Merrell Brothers, which has a 50-year contract with Speedway.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Feb. 2024
Much of this daily deluge of sludge and cinder was dumped in the harbor, an environmental calamity from which local marine life has never fully recovered.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
McGuire goes back to the same well several times – glimpses of apparitions at the pool’s edge, dark, blood-like sludge surging from beneath, ghoulish boogeymen (and boogeywomen) popping into the frame.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2024
For about the past month, Arizona Lake and Pond Management has relied on different products meant to remove phosphorous and eat away the organic sludge that’s been built up at the bottom of the lake.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
Led by Karla Chubb and working with Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, the Dublin four-piece draws inspiration from Savages, Bauhaus, and LCD Soundsystem, degrading nervous hooks with distortion and sludge but never losing sight of the dancefloor.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 5 Jan. 2024
Is there anything more frustrating than putting on a new pair of boots in the colder months, and then, inadvertently, stepping into an ankle-deep sidewalk puddle of sludge?
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2024
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
In fact, they’re found in high concentrations in the waste material leftover from previous mining operations—like coal ash in West Virginia or the highly-toxic sludge found in the Berkley Pit in Butte, Montana.
—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 8 May 2024
The town manager said the issue stemmed from a sludge disposal company, Merrell Brothers, which has a 50-year contract with Speedway.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 26 Feb. 2024
Much of this daily deluge of sludge and cinder was dumped in the harbor, an environmental calamity from which local marine life has never fully recovered.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
McGuire goes back to the same well several times – glimpses of apparitions at the pool’s edge, dark, blood-like sludge surging from beneath, ghoulish boogeymen (and boogeywomen) popping into the frame.
—Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2024
For about the past month, Arizona Lake and Pond Management has relied on different products meant to remove phosphorous and eat away the organic sludge that’s been built up at the bottom of the lake.
—Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024
Led by Karla Chubb and working with Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, the Dublin four-piece draws inspiration from Savages, Bauhaus, and LCD Soundsystem, degrading nervous hooks with distortion and sludge but never losing sight of the dancefloor.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 5 Jan. 2024
Is there anything more frustrating than putting on a new pair of boots in the colder months, and then, inadvertently, stepping into an ankle-deep sidewalk puddle of sludge?
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sludge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sludge
Cite this Entry
“Sludge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sludge. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
sludge
1 of 2 noun
: a semisolid precipitated mass or deposit
biliary sludge
especially
: sludged blood
sludge
2 of 2 intransitive verb
sludged; sludging
: to form sludge
positions that cause blood to sludge—L. K. Altman
L. K. AltmanLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share