marsh

noun

ˈmärsh 

often attributive

: a tract of soft wet land usually characterized by monocotyledons (such as grasses or cattails)

Synonyms of marsh

• wetland
• swamp

Examples of marsh in a Sentence

a wide expanse of marsh

the marshes along the coast support a remarkable profusion of plants and animals

Recent Examples on the Web

More recently, his team have been working on restoring formerly salt ponds into tidal marshes at the A2W pond near Shoreline Park and Stevens Creek Trail. —Sooji Nam, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

Decades ago, rangers and local volunteers transformed this area—once a junkyard—into a healthy 70-acre marsh with beavers, otters, turtles, and numerous avian species. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025

Iraq’s reservoirs are often near depletion, its southern waterways are dying, and its marshes remain imperilled by the oil industry. —Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025

Workers are putting the finishing touches on a three-year effort to restore 435 acres of former industrial salt evaporation ponds to natural wetlands and tidal marshes, along with building new public bayfront hiking trails. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mersh, from Old English merisc, mersc; akin to Middle Dutch mersch marsh, Old English mere sea, pool — more at marine

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing marsh

• marsh elder
• marsh gas
• marsh hawk
• marsh hen
• marsh mallow
• marsh marigold
• marsh pink
• salt marsh

Rhymes for marsh

• harsh

Kids Definition

marsh

noun

ˈmärsh 

: an area of soft wet land usually overgrown by grasses and sedges

marshy

ˈmär-shē

adjective

Biographical Definition

Marsh

biographical name

ˈmärsh 

Dame (Edith) Ngaio ˈnī-(ˌ)ō  1899–1982 New Zealand writer