swamp

1 of 2

noun

ˈswämp 

ˈswȯmp

1

: a wetland often partially or intermittently covered with water

especially : one dominated by woody vegetation

2

: a tract of swamp

3

: a difficult or troublesome situation or subject

swamp adjective

swamp

2 of 2

verb

swamped; swamping; swamps

transitive verb

1

a

: to fill with or as if with water : inundate, submerge

b

: to overwhelm numerically or by an excess of something : flood

swamped with work

2

: to open by removing underbrush and debris

intransitive verb

: to become submerged

Synonyms of swamp

Noun

• marsh
• wetland

Verb

• flood
• engulf
• overwhelm
• drown

Examples of swamp in a Sentence

Noun

Alligators live in the lowland swamps.

be careful in the swamp, because alligators sometimes lurk there

Verb

The sea level rose and swamped the coastal villages.

The boat sank after it was swamped by waves.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rain is expected to stop by kickoff, but not after nearly 24 hours of it, which may have turned the grass surface of Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium into a swamp (it is equipped with quite the advanced draining system). — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Del Rey’s husband, Jeremy Dufrene, will even have a bit role as Mud Dog Mike, Back Country Radio’s roving reporter, swamp meteorologist, and airboat captain (which Dufrene is in real life). — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

Flooding also spread into southern Nevada, swamping the Las Vegas Strip. — Jason Allen, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026

Chinese brands accounted for one in four European hybrid sales in August, swamping Europe’s legacy automakers. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration of Middle English sompe, from Middle Dutch somp morass; akin to Middle High German sumpf marsh, Greek somphos spongy

First Known Use

Noun

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1784, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing swamp

• swamp buggy

Rhymes for swamp

• comp
• pomp
• pompe
• romp
• stomp

Kids Definition

swamp

1 of 2 noun

ˈswämp 

ˈswȯmp

: wet spongy land often partly covered with water

swamp

2 of 2 verb

1

: to fill or become filled with or as if with water

2

: overwhelm sense 2

was swamped with work