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

Example Sentences

a wide expanse of marsh the marshes along the coast support a remarkable profusion of plants and animals
Recent Examples on the Web Soldiers shouted frantically to stay on hard ground — the marsh below still hasn’t been demined. Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2023 Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, who spotted the bird in a Brewster marsh last Friday. Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Oct. 2022 In Kearny, the railway crosses two bridges — both in need of significant repairs — and runs through a tidal marsh along a narrow berm, which Mr. Santos said ambulances and police cars cannot easily traverse. Tracey Tully, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2022 Black communities in Philadelphia have campaigned to save urban sanctuaries such as the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, which protects an essential tidal marsh and provides access to nature hikes and bird-watching. Monica Serrano, National Geographic, 16 Aug. 2022 The 66-mile stretch of dense jungle and marsh on Colombia-Panama border, the sole gap in the 19,000-mile Pan American Highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, serves as a barrier between South and Central America. Samantha Schmidt, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Feb. 2023 Her body was found a week later, in a marsh a few miles away. James Lasdun, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023 As the marsh has disappeared, many of the delta’s mounds have been exposed to ocean waves, leading to rapid erosion. Boyce Upholt, Wired, 23 July 2022 The study at the Chesapeake marsh did in fact represent all plants. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marsh.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of marsh was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near marsh

Cite this Entry

“Marsh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marsh. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

marsh

noun
: an area of soft wet land usually overgrown by grasses and sedges
marshy
ˈmär-shē
adjective

Biographical Definition

Marsh

biographical name

Dame (Edith) Ngaio ˈnī-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce Marsh (audio) 1899–1982 New Zealand writer

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