English

Noun

sludge ‎(countable and uncountable, plural sludges)

1. A generic term for solids separated from suspension in a liquid.
   • 2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:

     Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. […] Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.

2. A residual semi-solid material left from industrial, water treatment, or wastewater treatment processes.
3. A sediment of accumulated minerals in a steam boiler.
4. A mass of small pieces of ice on the surface of a body of water.
5. (uncountable, music) sludge metal

Synonyms

• (separated solids): mud, mire, ooze, slush

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

sludge ‎(third-person singular simple present sludges, present participle sludging, simple past and past participle sludged)

1. (intransitive, informal) to slump or slouch.
2. (intransitive) to slop or drip slowly.