mire

1 of 2

noun

1
: wet spongy earth (as of a bog or marsh)
the mire is relieved only by small stretches of open dry forestSaturday Review
2
: heavy often deep mud or slush
The troops trudged onward through the mire.
3
: a troublesome or intractable situation
found themselves in a mire of debt
miry adjective

mire

2 of 2

verb

mired; miring

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to stick fast in or as if in mire
The car was mired in the muck.
b
: to hamper or hold back as if by mire : entangle
The company has been mired in legal problems.
2
: to cover or soil with mire
his mired boots

intransitive verb

: to stick or sink in mire
a road in which horses and wagons mired regularlyEdmund Arnold

Examples of mire in a Sentence

Noun The troops marched onward through the muck and the mire. played on a football field that was thick with mire Verb the sight of the standard, which had emerged from the battle mangled and mired, still stirred the soldiers' hearts the case has been mired in probate court for years
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
However, Nokia’s business model collapsed with the proliferation of smartphones, leaving Finland’s economy in a yearslong economic mire. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024 In three succinct yet potent lines, Stevenson describes the beauty beneath the mire of metamorphosis. Juan Velasquez, Them, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
The nets are mired on the cable box, their content largely also available on direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Peacock, which Comcast is keeping. David Bloom, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 But he was instead mired in scandal, including mounting debts and lawsuits and backlash from two children born out of wedlock. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mire 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old Norse mȳrr; akin to Old English mōs marsh — more at moss

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of mire was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mire

Cite this Entry

“Mire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mire. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mire

1 of 2 noun
1
: wet spongy ground (as of a bog or marsh)
2
: heavy often deep mud or slush
miry adjective

mire

2 of 2 verb
mired; miring
1
a
: to sink or stick fast in mire
2
: to soil with mud or slush

Medical Definition

mire

noun
: any of the objects on the arm of an ophthalmometer that are used to measure astigmatism by the reflections they produce in the cornea when illuminated

More from Merriam-Webster on mire

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