dirty

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
• • •
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. | 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. | 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.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

dirty

dirty [dirty dirties dirtied dirtying dirtier dirtiest] adjective, verb, adverb [ˈdɜːti] [ˈdɜːrti]

adjective (dirt·ier, dirti·est)

NOT CLEAN
1. not clean
• dirty hands/clothes
• a dirty mark
• Try not to get too dirty!

• I always get given the dirty jobs (= jobs that make you become dirty).

OFFENSIVE

2. usually before noun connected with sex in an offensive way
• a dirty joke/book

• He's got a dirty mind (= he often thinks about sex).

UNPLEASANT/DISHONEST

3. usually before noun (informal) unpleasant or dishonest
• a dirty lie
• She's a dirty player.

• He's a great man for doing the dirty jobs (= jobs which are unpleasant because they involve being dishonest or mean to people).

COLOURS

4. only before noun dull

• a dirty brown carpet

DRUGS

5. (NAmE, slang) using illegal drugs
more at get your hands dirty at hand _n., wash your dirty linen in public at wash _v.
Thesaurus:
dirty adj.
• If your hands are dirty, go and wash them.
grubby • • muddy • • grimy • • filthy • • dusty • • stained • • unwashed • • messy • |formal soiled •
Opp: clean
dirty/grubby/muddy/filthy/dusty/stained/unwashed/soiled clothes
dirty/grubby/grimy/filthy/dusty/unwashed hands
get dirty/muddy/filthy/dusty/stained/messy
Synonyms:
dirty
dusty • filthy • muddy • soiled • grubby • stained
These words all describe sb/sth that is not clean.
dirty • not clean; covered with dust, soil, mud, oil, etc: ▪ If your hands are dirty, go and wash them.
dusty • full of dust; covered with dust: ▪ There were shelves full of dusty books.
filthy • very dirty and unpleasant: ▪ It's absolutely filthy in here.
muddy • full of or covered in mud: ▪ Don't you come in here with those muddy boots on!
soiled • (rather formal) dirty, especially with waste from the body: ▪ soiled nappies/diapers
grubby • (rather informal) rather dirty, usually because it has not been washed: ▪ He hoped she wouldn't notice his grubby shirt cuffs.
stained • (often in compounds) covered with stains; marked with a stain (= a dirty mark that is difficult to remove): ▪ a pair of paint-stained jeans
dirty/dusty/filthy/muddy/soiled/grubby/stained clothes
dirty/dusty/filthy/grubby hands
a dirty/dusty/filthy room
to get dirty/dusty/filthy/muddy/stained
Example Bank:
• Everything in the room was incredibly dirty.
• Go and play football if you like, but don't get dirty!
• He's not frightened of getting his hands dirty.
• The soot had made everything dirty.
• He always gets someone else to do the dirty work for him.
• I always get given the dirty jobs.
• If your hands are dirty, go and wash them.
• My thumb had left a dirty mark on the paper.
• She always gets other people to do her dirty work for her.
• She's a dirty player.
• The dirty clothes go in the washing machine.

• You dirty liar!

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

dirty

/dɜ:(r)ti/
(dirtier, dirtiest, dirties, dirtying, dirtied)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.
If something is dirty, it is marked or covered with stains, spots, or mud, and needs to be cleaned.
She still did not like the woman who had dirty fingernails...
= grubby
≠ clean
ADJ

2.
To dirty something means to cause it to become dirty.
He was afraid the dog’s hairs might dirty the seats...
VERB: V n

3.
If you describe an action as dirty, you disapprove of it and consider it unfair, immoral, or dishonest.
The gunman had been hired by a rival Mafia family to do the dirty deed.
ADJ: usu ADJ n [disapproval]
•
Dirty is also an adverb.
Jim Browne is the kind of fellow who can fight dirty.
ADV: ADV after v

4.
If you describe something such as a joke, a book, or someone’s language as dirty, you mean that it refers to sex in a way that some people find offensive.
They told dirty jokes and sang raucous ballads...
ADJ: usu ADJ n
•
Dirty is also an adverb.
I’m often asked whether the men talk dirty to me. The answer is no.
ADV: ADV after v

5.
Dirty is used before words of criticism to emphasize that you do not approve of someone or something. (INFORMAL)
You dirty liar.
ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis]

6.
If you say that someone washes their dirty linen in public, you disapprove of their discussing or arguing about unpleasant or private things in front of other people. There are several other forms of this expression, for example wash your dirty laundry in public, or in American English, air your dirty laundry in public.
We shouldn’t wash our dirty laundry in public and if I was in his position, I’d say nothing at all.
PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval]

7.
If someone gives you a dirty look, they look at you in a way which shows that they are angry with you. (INFORMAL)
Michael gave him a dirty look and walked out.
PHRASE: N inflects, PHR after v

8.
Dirty old man is an expression some people use to describe an older man who they think shows an unnatural interest in sex.
PHRASE: N inflects, usu v-link PHR [disapproval]

9.
To do someone’s dirty work means to do a task for them that is dishonest or unpleasant and which they do not want to do themselves.
As a member of an elite army hit squad, the army would send us out to do their dirty work for them.
PHRASE: V inflects

10.
If you say that an expression is a dirty word in a particular group of people, you mean it refers to an idea that they strongly dislike or disagree with.
Marketing became a dirty word at the company.
PHRASE: v-link PHR