What does "clod" mean?
A lump of something, especially earth or clay.
Clod
/klɑd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A lump of something, especially earth or clay.
- Grammar: clod is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: chunk, clump, lump, acres.
- Useful contrasts: bright mind, clever person, crumb.
- Usage evidence: "I fear the rain," said the stone. "What would I say, me!" replied the clod of earth.
How to use "clod"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clod" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clod" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clod" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clod" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clod" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chunk" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clod", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A lump of something, especially earth or clay.
"clods of iron and brass"
- 2 a compact mass wordnet
- 3 The ground; the earth; a spot of earth or turf.
"the clod where once their sultan's horse hath trod"
- 4 an awkward stupid person wordnet
- 5 A stupid person, a dolt, a clodpate, a clodhopper.
"The vulgar, a scarce animated clod"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Part of a shoulder of beef, or of the neck piece near the shoulder.
Verb
- 1 To pelt with clods. transitive
""When I went there yesterday evening in the gloaming it had crept down and was trying to catch the little speckled fishes that play in the pool, and I had to clod it to make it go up the tree again and let them alone.""
- 2 To throw violently; to hurl. Scotland, transitive
""So, sir, she grippit him, and clodded him like a stane from the sling ower the craigs of Warroch-head""
- 3 To collect into clods, or into a thick mass; to coagulate; to clot.
"Clodded in lumps of clay."
Example
""I fear the rain," said the stone. "What would I say, me!" replied the clod of earth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clod"?
Common synonyms include: chunk, clump, lump, acres, alluvion, alluvium.
How do you use "clod" in a sentence?
"I fear the rain," said the stone. "What would I say, me!" replied the clod of earth.
How do you pronounce "clod"?
Pronounced /klɑd/.
Etymology
From Middle English clod, a late by-form of clot, from Old English clot, from Proto-West Germanic *klott (“mass, ball, clump”). Compare clot and cloud; cognate to kloot (“clod”). Alternatively, Middle English clod may derive from Old English *clod (found in Old English clodhamer (“a kind of thrush”) and Clodhangra (a placename)), from Proto-West Germanic *kloddō (“lump, clod”), from *gel- (“to ball up, become lumpy”), related to West Frisian klodde (“clod, lump”), Dutch klodde (“lump, blob”).