Experiments were conducted to study the sorption behaviour of dimethoate in three Indian soils at different temperatures. A kinetic study showed that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 15 h at different initial levels of pesticide concentration. Applicability of the pseudo second order kinetic model suggested that the adsorption process was complex and several mechanisms were involved. The Freundlich model explained the adsorption behaviour adequately and the isotherms were of S-type. The adsorption process was found to be strongly affected by temperature. The Gibbs free energy change, ΔGº values (from -15.81 to -16.60 kJ mol^-1) indicated that the process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. The change in enthalpy of adsorption, ΔH° values (from -17.729 to -21.539 kJ mol^-1) suggested that relatively weak H-bond forces were the main driving forces for adsorption. Desorption was found to be concentration- and temperature-dependent with higher desorption occurring at higher temperature and concentration levels. The results signify the importance of temperature in controlling the mobility of dimethoate in water bodies.