n. the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; "American troops were stationed on Japanese soil"

n. material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good agricultural soil"

n. the state of being covered with unclean things

n. [the portion of the earth's surface consisting of disintegrated rock and humus]

v. make soiled, filthy, or dirty; "don't soil your clothes when you play outside!"

n. a group of people living in a particular local area; "the team is drawn from all parts of the community"

n. the body of voters who elect a representative for their area

n. an area or region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic

n. an elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found; "a belt of high pressure"

n. a district of a city or town marked out for administrative purposes

n. one of the administrative divisions of a large city

n. an incorporated administrative district established by state charter; "the city raised the tax rate"

n. (anatomy) any encircling or beltlike structure

n. (United States) the largest administrative district within a state; "the county plans to build a new road"

n. the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised

n. territory ruled by a prince

n. an outer adjacent area of any place

n. the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs; "a marine habitat"; "he felt safe on his home grounds"

n. range of jurisdiction or influence; "a bureaucracy...chiefly concerned with turf...and protecting the retirement system"

n. a country with a king as head of state

n. any of the four areas into which a plane is divided by two orthogonal coordinate axes

n. a quarter of the circumference of a circle

n. a district of a city having some distinguishing character; "the Latin Quarter"

n. an area within a city or town that has some distinctive features (especially one forming a community); "an ethnic neighborhood"

n. the region close around a person or thing

n. a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people; "no section of the nation is more ardent than the South"; "there are three synagogues in the Jewish section"

n. a portion of a military position

n. a district into which a city or town is divided for the purpose of administration and elections

n. an extended area of land

n. a piece of ground having specific characteristics or military potential; "they decided to attack across the rocky terrain"

n. the set of all points or lines that satisfy or are determined by specific conditions; "the locus of points equidistant from a given point is a circle"

n. a locally circumscribed place characterized by some distinctive features

n. the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own

n. a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water"

n. the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground"

n. a domain in which something is dominant; "the untroubled kingdom of reason"; "a land of make-believe"; "the rise of the realm of cotton in the south"

n. a receptacle where waste can be discarded; "she tossed the moldy bread into the garbage"

v. make wet and dirty, as from rain

v. become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly; "The scene begins to fade"; "The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk"

v. remove color from; "The sun bleached the red shirt"

v. make or become black; "The smoke blackened the ceiling"; "The ceiling blackened"

v. charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"

v. make a smudge on; soil by smudging

n. dependent state, part of a nation

v. rid of impurities; "purge the water"; "purge your mind"

v. make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth"

v. form by erosion; "The river washed a ravine into the mountainside"