clay

/kleɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [klˈe] /kleɪ/ (ame, ipa) · [klˈe] /ˈklā/ (ame, mw)

clay — noun

1. a heavy earth material that can be shaped when wet and then turns hard after dry

1.名詞A2
釋義

a heavy earth material that can be shaped when wet and then turns hard after drying or firing, letting people make bricks, bowls, pots, and similar objects from it.

例句

Yumi pressed the wet clay into a small bowl in art class.

collocation: wet clay / press into shape

After the rain, thick clay stuck to Brandon's boots in the field.

同義詞
  • earth

    a broader word for soil or ground, not specifically the sticky material used for pottery

  • soil

    used for ground where plants grow; less specific than clay

  • mud

    wetter and looser than clay, and not usually used for making objects

文法句型

some clay

a lump of clay

shape clay into [object]

用法筆記

Usually uncountable when you mean the material itself. You can say 'some clay' or 'a lump of clay', but not normally 'a clay' for one piece of the substance.

常見錯誤

❌The child made it from a clay.
✅The child made it from clay.
💡Clay is usually uncountable when you mean the material.
❌The road was full of clay after the storm.
✅The road was full of mud after the storm.
💡For ordinary wet dirt on the ground, 'mud' is more natural than 'clay'.

2. the red-brown surface made from crushed brick or stone on some tennis courts, or

2.名詞B2
釋義

the red-brown surface made from crushed brick or stone on some tennis courts, or tennis played on that kind of court.

例句

Tara grew up on clay and learned to slide into every shot.

pattern: play on clay

The tournament switched from grass to clay after moving to Rome.

contrast: grass to clay

同義詞
  • clay court

    names the physical court itself rather than the surface or style of play more generally

  • red dirt

    an informal term sometimes used for clay-style courts, especially outside formal match reports

反義詞
  • grass

    the faster green surface used on grass courts

  • hard court

    a non-clay surface such as acrylic or concrete

文法句型

play on clay

win on clay

switch from grass to clay

用法筆記

In tennis, people often say a player is good 'on clay' or that a tournament is played 'on clay'. This sense is about the court surface and the style of play connected with it, not the pottery material in sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌He wins many matches in clay.
✅He wins many matches on clay.
💡Use 'on' with tennis surfaces.