mud
gb/mˈʌd/ us/mˈʌd/
A2
Inglés
~ 9100
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
A2
entity
1
soft, wet earth or soil
Wet earth that is soft and sticky because it has water in it.
Patrón de uso:
[someone]/[something] is in/covered in mud
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse "mud" with "dust". "Mud" is wet and sticky, while "dust" is dry and powdery. Another mistake is saying "many mud" instead of "a lot of mud"; "mud" is an uncountable noun.
Sinónimos
wet dirt (More informal description; less specific than "mud" and not used as a fixed noun.)
Antónimos
dry ground (Describes earth without water, the opposite physical condition of mud.)
Colocaciones
thick mud
|wade through mud
|covered in mud
|caked in mud
|mud puddle
|track mud into [a place]
Temas
nature
|weather
|daily life
|travel
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- The heavy rain turned the path into deep mud.
- The kids came home covered in mud after playing in the field.
- My boots got stuck in the mud near the riverbank.
- Trucks had trouble crossing the mud on the unpaved road.
- Please wipe the mud off your shoes before you come inside.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The dog is dirty with mud.
- There is a lot of mud on the road.
- Her feet sank into the soft mud.
- He washed the mud from his hands.
- Rain made the playground full of mud.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
2
harmful talk damaging reputation
Bad things people say about someone to make others think badly of that person.
Patrón de uso:
to throw/sling mud at [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners may think this sense is literal and imagine physical mud. In phrases like "sling mud" or "throw mud", the word often means "say bad things", not "throw wet earth". Context about reputation or politics usually signals the figurative meaning.
Sinónimos
slander (More formal and often legal; focuses on spoken lies, while "mud" is more general and informal.)
Antónimos
praise (Instead of attacking someone's reputation, "praise" speaks well of them.)
Colocaciones
sling mud
|throw mud
|political mud
|mud-slinging campaign
|covered in mud (reputation)
Temas
communication
|politics
|media
Ejemplos
- Both candidates spent the debate slinging mud instead of discussing real issues.
- Social media makes it easy to throw mud at public figures without any proof.
- The article was full of mud but offered no solid evidence.
- She refuses to get involved in political mud and personal attacks.
- In the final week of the election, the mud really started to fly.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The two politicians are throwing mud at each other.
- He is tired of all the mud in the news about him.
- They started to sling mud instead of talking calmly.
- Her opponent spread mud about her private life.
- The internet can be full of mud and rumors.
Sustantivo
informal
B2
entity
3
very thick, bad-tasting coffee
Coffee that is too strong and tastes bad, often dark and heavy like mud.
Patrón de uso:
[something] tastes/looks like mud
Error frecuente:
Learners may think "mud" here is the literal dirt. In food or drink contexts, especially with coffee, it often means the drink is very bad. This is informal and should not be used in polite or formal reviews.
Sinónimos
sludge (Informal metaphor; can describe very thick, unpleasant drinks or liquids in general, not only coffee.)
Antónimos
smooth coffee (Describes coffee that is easy to drink and pleasant, the opposite experience of "mud" coffee.)
Colocaciones
this coffee is mud
|tastes like mud
|looks like mud
|a cup of mud
Temas
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- The office coffee is absolute mud; I can barely drink it.
- After sitting on the burner all day, the coffee turned to mud.
- He took one sip and said, "Who made this mud?"
- The cheap instant stuff tastes like mud compared to fresh espresso.
- I’d rather drink water than that mud they serve on the train.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- This coffee is like mud. It is terrible.
- The drink looks like mud and smells bad.
- I do not want this mud; I want real coffee.
- He made strong mud in the old coffee machine.
- She joked that the hotel coffee was mud.
Verbo
B2
action
4
to cover something with mud
To make something dirty by putting mud on it.
Patrón de uso:
to mud [something]/[a surface]
Error frecuente:
This verb is much less common than the noun "mud" and many speakers prefer "get [something] muddy" or "cover [something] in mud". Learners may overuse "mud" as a verb; it can sound unusual in everyday speech.
Sinónimos
dirty (More general; "dirty" can be used with any kind of dirt, while "mud" is specific to wet earth.)
Antónimos
clean (Means to remove dirt or mud, the opposite of putting mud on something.)
Colocaciones
mud the floor
|mud [someone's] shoes
|completely mud [something]
Temas
daily life
|cleaning
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- The children mudded the kitchen floor when they ran in from the yard.
- Try not to mud the seats when you get in the car.
- The workers accidentally mudded the sidewalk while fixing the pipes.
- Hikers often mud the trail shelters after walking through wet fields.
- Please take off your boots so you don't mud the carpet.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Do not mud the clean floor with your shoes.
- The kids mudded the hall when they came in.
- Rain can mud your clothes very fast.
- He mudded his boots in the field.
- She was afraid the dog would mud the sofa.
Verbo
technical
C1
action
5
to apply joint compound
To put a thick white paste on a wall or ceiling to make it smooth, especially when building or fixing a house.
Patrón de uso:
to mud [a wall]/[a joint]
Error frecuente:
Learners may not realize this is a technical construction verb used mainly in North American English. In general English, it is better to say "plaster a wall" or "fill the joints" unless talking specifically about drywall work.
Sinónimos
plaster (More general and slightly more common; can refer to both the material and the action of applying it.)
Antónimos
sand (In this context, means to smooth the dried compound with sandpaper, the opposite step after mudding.)
Colocaciones
mud the drywall
|mud the seams
|tape and mud
|mud the joints
Temas
construction
|home
|housing
|work
Ejemplos
- After hanging the drywall, they taped and mudded all the seams.
- You need to mud the screw holes before you start painting.
- The contractor mudded the ceiling twice to get a smooth finish.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- He will mud the new wall tomorrow.
- They taped and mudded the joints in the room.
- You must mud the cracks before you paint.
- The worker mudded the holes in the ceiling.
- We learned how to mud drywall in the class.
Sustantivo
technical
C2
entity
6
drilling fluid used in wells
A thick liquid used when drilling for oil or gas that cools the drill and brings pieces of rock to the top.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] circulates/pumps mud in the well
Error frecuente:
Outside technical oil and gas contexts, "mud" means wet earth. In drilling texts, however, "mud" almost always refers to the engineered fluid, not natural soil.
Sinónimos
drilling fluid (Standard technical term; more formal and precise than simply calling it "mud".)
Antónimos
clear water (In contrast to thick drilling mud, clear water is sometimes used as a simple drilling fluid.)
Colocaciones
drilling mud
|mud weight
|mud system
|pump the mud
|circulate the mud
Temas
engineering
|energy
|industry
|technology
|science
|work
Ejemplos
- The engineers adjusted the mud weight to control the pressure in the well.
- If the mud returns slow down, it can be a sign of a problem in the hole.
- They lost a large amount of mud into a fractured formation overnight.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- They use special mud when they drill for oil.
- The company changed the mud to fix a problem in the well.
- Workers watch the mud carefully during drilling.
- Thick mud comes up from the hole with the rock pieces.
- Engineers talk about the weight of the mud.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
mud
AFI
GB/mˈʌd/
US/mˈʌd/
Sílabas y acento
mud (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (mud)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: mud
- Plural: mud
Familia de palabras
Expresiones
as clear as mud
1/ˈæz klˈɪɹ ˈæz mˈʌd/
idiom
informal
very unclear or confusing
Very difficult to understand; not clear at all.
Ejemplos
- His explanation of the tax rules was as clear as mud.
- The instructions are as clear as mud, so no one can follow them.
- After that lecture, the topic is still as clear as mud to me.
as happy as a pig in mud
1/ˈæz hˈæpi ˈæz ə pˈɪɡ ˈɪn mˈʌd/
idiom
informal
extremely happy and content
Very happy and enjoying the situation a lot.
Ejemplos
- Give him a good book and a quiet room, and he's as happy as a pig in mud.
- The kids were as happy as pigs in mud playing in the sand all day.
- She looked as happy as a pig in mud when she started her new job.
drag someone's name through the mud
1/dɹˈæɡ sˈʌmwˌʌnz nˈeɪm θɹˈu ðə mˈʌd/
idiom
severely damage someone's reputation
To talk about someone in a very bad way so that many people lose respect for them.
Ejemplos
- The tabloid dragged her name through the mud with false stories.
- He apologized for dragging his colleague's name through the mud during the meeting.
- They dragged his name through the mud even though he was later found innocent.
mud sticks
1/mˈʌd stˈɪks/
idiom
accusations are remembered
When bad things are said about someone, people often remember them, even if they are not true.
Ejemplos
- He was found innocent, but mud sticks and some people still doubt him.
- Politicians know that mud sticks, so they fear even false rumors.
- Once the story is online, mud sticks no matter what you say later.
mud-slinging
1/mˈʌd slˈɪŋɪŋ/
idiom
public attacks on reputation
The act of saying bad and often untrue things about someone, especially in politics, to hurt their reputation.
Ejemplos
- Voters are tired of all the mud-slinging in this campaign.
- The debate quickly turned into childish mud-slinging.
- She quit politics because of the constant mud-slinging in the media.
one's name is mud
1/wˈʌnz nˈeɪm ˈɪz mˈʌd/
idiom
informal
to be very unpopular/disgraced
To be very unpopular or not trusted, especially because you did something wrong.
Ejemplos
- After missing that deadline, my name is mud with the boss.
- His name is mud in this town after the scandal.
- If you lie to your clients, your name will be mud in the industry.
sling mud
1/slˈɪŋ mˈʌd/
idiom
criticize someone to harm reputation
To say bad things about someone, especially in public or in politics, so that other people think badly of them.
Ejemplos
- Instead of slinging mud, the candidates should talk about their plans.
- The article slings mud at the mayor without giving real facts.
- She refuses to sling mud, even when her opponents attack her.
stick in the mud
1/stˈɪk ˈɪn ðə mˈʌd/
idiom
informal
person who dislikes change or fun
A person who does not like new things, change, or fun activities and prefers to stay with old, safe ways.
Ejemplos
- Don't be such a stick in the mud; come to the party with us.
- She used to be a stick in the mud, but now she loves trying new things.
- He's too much of a stick in the mud to go traveling alone.