smut

1 of 2

verb

smutted; smutting

transitive verb

1
: to stain or taint with smut
2
: to affect (a crop or plant) with smut

intransitive verb

: to become affected by smut

smut

2 of 2

noun

1
: matter that soils or blackens
specifically : a particle of soot
2
: any of various destructive diseases especially of cereal grasses caused by parasitic basidiomycetous fungi (order Ustilaginales) and marked by transformation of plant parts into dark masses of spores
also : a fungus causing a smut
3
: obscene language or matter

Examples of smut in a Sentence

Noun Smut is not allowed in this house. obscenity laws that aimed to stamp out smut
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In the end, the Swifties were able to get a lot of the AI smut removed through mass-reporting and overwhelm the rest with a furious avalanche of condemnation. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024 The rampant smut that blighted Times Square and the constellation of lowlifes who orbited around it were tackled in that neighborhood in the mid ’90s. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 My husband had no fondness for smut, for assaults on the sacred. Marie Ndiaye, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 My friend Mike cuts single frames of smut into family features. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023 The old diplomat was shaken to the core to discover that in their correspondence Mozart and his family and friends were gleefully given to silliness and smut. Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022 There are pulpy novels that are straight-up smut and novels that take an intellectual look at sexuality. Shannon Carlin, refinery29.com, 9 Sep. 2023 Minx is officially back for a second season of gender politics, '70s fashion, and smut. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 21 July 2023 Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Glamour asked nine devoted smut readers on TikTok and Instagram to recommend their favorite erotic novels, romance novels, and written smut. Jenny Singer, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smut.' 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

Verb

probably alteration of earlier smot to stain, from Middle English smotten; akin to Middle High German smutzen to stain

First Known Use

Verb

1587, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of smut was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near smut

Cite this Entry

“Smut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smut. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smut

1 of 2 verb
smutted; smutting
1
: to stain, soil, or affect (a crop or plant) with smut
2
: to become affected by smut

smut

2 of 2 noun
1
: matter that soils or blackens
especially : a particle of soot
2
: any of various destructive diseases of plants caused by fungi that transform plant organs (as seeds) into dark masses of spores
also : a fungus that causes a smut
3
: indecent language, pictures, or writing

Medical Definition

smut

noun
: any of various destructive diseases especially of cereal grasses caused by parasitic fungi (order Ustilaginales)
also : a fungus causing a smut

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