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
That includes farmers who have had sludge from water treatment plants spread on their land containing PFAS, fire departments, airports and municipalities, people who own land that was polluted by PFAS originating from another nearby property or waste facilities that accepted PFAS.
—
Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
It's used to empty the machine of the ice and sludge scraped from the skating surface.
—John Wisely, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Filth Flies Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025
And at least one section became known for the bubbles produced by toxic sludge on its floor.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sludge
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Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
It's used to empty the machine of the ice and sludge scraped from the skating surface.
—John Wisely, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Filth Flies Little filth flies such as drain flies breed in sludge and decaying matter that can build up in drain pipes, says Oi.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025
And at least one section became known for the bubbles produced by toxic sludge on its floor.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sludge
Cite this Entry
“Sludge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sludge. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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?
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