SOILING • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Soiling

Add this Dictionary
to your website!
See more options...

Listen

verb

Soil v. t. (past & past part. soiled; pres. part. soiling) To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an inclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food; as, to soil a horse.

Soil v. t. To enrich with soil or muck; to manure. "Men... soil their ground, not that they love the dirt, but that they expect a crop."

Soil v. t.

To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to dirty; to defile; as, to soil a garment with dust. "Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained."

To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.

Synonyms: To foul; dirt; dirty; begrime; bemire; bespatter; besmear; daub; bedaub; stain; tarnish; sully; defile; pollute.

Soil v. i. To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark ones.

See images of 'Soiling'

Etymology of 'Soiling'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

Share |

"Soiling" Quotes from Famous Books

... yet he had thrown a new light on the strike, and he had reminded Joe of his long-forgotten guilt. And suddenly Joe knew. All are guilty; all share in the corruption of the world—the laborer anxious for mass-tyranny and distrustful of genius, the aristocrat afraid of soiling his hands, the capitalist intent on power and wealth, the artist neglectful of all but a narrow artifice, each one limited by excess or want, by intellect or passion, by vanity or lust, and all ...

— The Nine-Tenths • James Oppenheim

... the laughing Ruggles; "that's the fellow, but I'm sorry to say that since they made a major-general of him, he's become a reg'lar dude. He doesn't go out when it rains for fear of soiling his uniform, and the noise of powder makes him sick, so be careful how you handle ...

— A Waif of the Mountains • Edward S. Ellis

... Yet amidst this helpless imbecility there was a touching trait of humble, self-devoting maternity, which made Maggie feel tenderly toward her poor mother amidst all the little wearing griefs caused by her mental feebleness. She would let Maggie do none of the work that was heaviest and most soiling to the hands, and was quite peevish when Maggie attempted to relieve her from her grate-brushing and scouring: "Let it alone, my dear; your hands 'ull get as hard as hard," she would say; "it's your mother's place to do that. I can't do the sewing—my eyes fail me." ...

— The Mill on the Floss • George Eliot

... Many of the young women whom she met at the master's house had yellowed fingers and smoked in the anteroom; the Big Soprano had smoked; Anna and Scatchy had smoked; in the coffee-houses milliners' apprentices produced little silver mouth-pieces to prevent soiling their pretty lips and smoked endlessly. Even Peter had admitted that it was not a vice, but only a comfortable bad habit. And Anna had ...

— The Street of Seven Stars • Mary Roberts Rinehart

... though late that day, was unusually sumptuous, and Betterson and his boys brought to it keen appetites from their work. Vinnie's cooking received merited praise, and the most cordial good-will prevailed. Even little Chokie, soiling face and fingers with a "drum-stick" he was gnawing, lisped out his ...

— The Young Surveyor; - or Jack on the Prairies • J. T. Trowbridge

More quotes...