Meaning & use
slurry
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountabletechnical
A thick, semi-liquid mixture of water and fine solid material such as cement, mud, or manure.
Grammar: Can be countable when referring to a specific batch (a slurry) or uncountable when referring to the substance in general (slurry was pumped).
Patterns
- a slurry of something
- slurry is pumped/used
- mix something into a slurry
The workers mixed cement and water into a thick slurry.
The farm stores animal slurry in large tanks before spreading it on fields.
A slurry of mud and rocks flowed down the hillside after the storm.
Word forms
| plural | slurries |
|---|
Common combinations
- cement slurry
- The cement slurry hardened quickly in the sun.
- manure slurry
- Manure slurry is often used as fertilizer.
- coal slurry
- Coal slurry is a byproduct of mining.
- slurry pit
- The slurry pit on the farm is dangerous for children.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- slurried adjective
- Describing something that has been turned into or treated with a slurry.
Commonly confused: slurry or slur?
slurry vs slur
A slur is an insulting remark or a blurred way of speaking, not a mixture.
Practice
The construction workers poured a ___ of concrete and water into the trench.
Choose one answer.
Slurry is the correct term for a semi-liquid mixture of cement and water. Sludge is too thick and waste-like, slur means an insult, and slush is melting snow or a soft drink.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slurry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.