# smut

/ˈsmət/ (US) · /smˈʌt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/smut
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. obscene material

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

books, films, or pictures that are sexual in a way that people find dirty or offensive.

For teachers: sexually vulgar or pornographic material, often used with a derogatory or dismissive tone.

- The local shop was criticized for selling smut to teenagers.
- The moral crusaders of the era frequently campaigned against what they termed 'cheap smut' appearing in popular pulp magazines.

### 2. soot or ash

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

a small piece of dirt, soot, or ash that makes a mark on something.

For teachers: a flake of soot or ash; also the collective black matter produced by incomplete combustion.

- A piece of smut from the chimney landed on her white dress.
- The industrial fog left a fine layer of black smut on every windowsill in the district.

### 3. plant disease

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a type of fungus that grows on crops like corn and wheat, making them turn black.

For teachers: any of various parasitic fungi of the order Ustilaginales that cause plant diseases characterized by black, soot-like masses of spores.

- The farmer was worried that the corn smut would spread to the rest of the field.
- Agricultural researchers are developing new hybrids resistant to common cereal smut, which can otherwise devastate annual yields.

### 4. to stain with dirt

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to make something dirty with soot or coal.

For teachers: to stain, smudge, or blacken a surface with soot, coal, or similar grime.

- His face was smutted with coal dust after working in the cellar all day.
- The smoke from the passing locomotive smutted the laundry hanging on the line, much to the residents' annoyance.

## Examples

- The miners had to clear the coal of smut before it could be sold.
- The coal was contaminated with a thick layer of smut, making the processing plant's filters work overtime.
- Geologists noted that the presence of smut in the seam indicated a high level of pressure and rapid sedimentation during the formation of the coal deposit.

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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.