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Dirt vs Grime - What's the difference?

dirt | grime |

As nouns the difference between dirt and grime

is that dirt is soil or earth while grime is dirt, grease, soot, etc. that is ingrained and difficult to remove.

As verbs the difference between dirt and grime

is that dirt is to make foul or filthy; soil; befoul; dirty while grime is to begrime; to cake with dirt.

As an acronym DIRT

is Deposit Interest Retention Tax

As a proper noun Grime is

{{surname|A=An|English}}, probably derived from Old Norse grimr or grimmr

dirt

English

Alternative forms

* (obsolete)

Noun

(en-noun)
  • soil or earth
  • A stain or spot (on clothes etc); any foreign substance that worsens appearance
  • Previously unknown facts, or the invented "facts", about a person; gossip
    • The reporter uncovered the dirt on the businessman by going undercover.
  • Meanness; sordidness.
  • * Melmoth
    • honours thrown away upon dirt and infamy
  • In placer mining, earth, gravel, etc., before washing.

    • Derived terms

    * dirt bike * dirt nap * dirty * do someone dirt

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (rare) To make foul or filthy; soil; befoul; dirty

    • grime

    English

    (wikipedia grime)

    Noun

    (-)
  • Dirt, grease, soot, etc. that is ingrained and difficult to remove.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=14 citation , passage=Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall.  Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime .}}
  • (music) A genre of urban music that emerged in London, England, in the early 2000s, primarily a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop.

    • Related terms

    * grimy (pos a)

    Verb

    (grim)
  • To begrime; to cake with dirt
  • * {{quote-book, year=1862, author=Edwin Waugh, title=Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk during the Cotton Famine, chapter=, edition= citation
    • , passage=All grimed with coaldust, they swing along the street with their dinner baskets and cans in their hands, chattering merrily.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1920, author=Harold Bindloss, title=Lister's Great Adventure, chapter=, edition= citation
    • , passage=Fog from the river rolled up the street and the windows were grimed by soot, but Cartwright had not turned on the electric light.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1918, author=Harold Bindloss, title=The Buccaneer Farmer, chapter=, edition= citation
    • , passage=His skin was grimed with dust, for he had ridden hard in scorching heat, and was anxious and impatient to get on.}} ----