desert soil

noun

: a soil that develops under sparse shrub vegetation in warm to cool arid climates with a light-colored surface soil usually underlain by calcareous material and a hardpan layer

Examples of desert soil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When rain arrives all at once, desert soils often can’t absorb it. — Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Mar. 2026 The mothers work dutifully, spending no more than a few minutes at each spot, hacking away at the hard desert soil. — Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025 Throughout much of Southwest, desert soil can be laced with Coccidioides fungus spores. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026 Deep beneath Utah’s desert soil, an oil drill bored through the Earth at a blistering pace earlier this spring. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for desert soil

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of desert soil was circa 1938

Rhymes for desert soil

See All Rhymes for desert soil

Browse Nearby Words

desertscape
desert soil
desert sparrow
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desert soil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desert%20soil. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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