# filth

/ˈfɪɫθ/ (US) · /fˈɪlθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/filth
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. extreme dirt

noun · CEFR B2

very thick, disgusting dirt or waste that makes a place or person very messy.

For teachers: disgusting or foul matter; extreme physical uncleanness that soils or defiles a surface or environment.

- The abandoned house was covered in years of dust and filth.
- After the flood waters receded, the basement was left coated in a thick layer of toxic filth and river silt.

### 2. offensive material

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

words, pictures, or ideas that people think are very rude, disgusting, or morally wrong.

For teachers: material, such as pornography or extreme profanity, considered morally corrupting or deeply offensive.

- Some parents complained that the new movie was nothing but filth.
- The tabloid was accused of peddling filth under the guise of investigative journalism to boost its declining circulation.

### 3. the police

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Slang · Vulgar

a very rude and insulting name for the police.

For teachers: a highly derogatory collective slang term for the police or law enforcement officers.

- The teenagers ran away as soon as they saw the filth arriving.
- In the gritty crime novel, the protagonist refers to the local precinct detectives exclusively as the filth.

Usage: Usually used with the definite article as 'the filth'.

Teaching tip: This is extremely offensive and primarily used in British street slang; learners should avoid using it themselves.

## Examples

- The old house was covered in layers of filth.
- After the flood, the basement was filled with mud and filth that took weeks to clean out.
- The investigative report exposed the literal filth of the overcrowded tenements and the metaphorical filth of the political corruption that allowed such conditions to persist.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.