FluentPlex

muddy

/ˈmʌdi/ verb C2
  1. To cover or splash (someone or something) with mud. (transitive) · If you muddy your shoes don’t wear them inside.
  2. To make (water or some other liquid) cloudy or turbid by stirring up mud or other sediment. (transitive)
  3. To confuse (a person or their thinking); to muddle. (figuratively, transitive) · The discussion only muddied their understanding of the subject.
  4. To damage (a person or their reputation); to sully, to tarnish. (figuratively, transitive)
  5. To make (a colour) dirty, dull, or muted. (figuratively, transitive) · The addition of the second batch of paint muddied the bright colours to a dull and washed look.
  6. To make (a matter, etc.) more complicated or unclear; to make a mess of (something). (figuratively, transitive)
  7. To make (something) impure; to contaminate. (figuratively, transitive)
  8. Sometimes followed by up: to become covered or splashed with mud; to become dirty or soiled. (figuratively, intransitive)

He/she/it muddies · Past muddied · Past participle muddied · -ing form muddying

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Verb forms

Base form
muddy
He/she/it
muddies
Past
muddied
Past participle
muddied
-ing form
muddying

From the library

“Someone had been hiding here, sure enough.” He held down the light, and the marks of muddy boots were very visible in the corner.
The Valley of Fear, p. 31 · C1
It was difficult to walk without falling into muddy holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, p. 133 · B2
Marilla found Anne face downward on her bed, crying bitterly, quite oblivious of muddy boots on a clean counterpane.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 68 · C1
They drank at the tanks and made the water all muddy, and then they fought over it, and then they would all rush together in mobs and shout: “There is no one in the jungle so wise and good and clever and strong and gentle as the Bandar-log.
The Jungle Book, p. 48 · B2

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.