mire

noun

\ ˈmī(-ə)r

Definition of mire

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : wet spongy earth (as of a bog or marsh) the mire is relieved only by small stretches of open dry forest — Saturday 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

mire

verb

mired; miring

Definition of mire (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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 regularly— Edmund Arnold

Other Words from mire Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About mire

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Synonyms & Antonyms for mire

Synonyms: Noun

guck
(or gook),
muck,
mud,
ooze,
slime,
slop,
sludge,
slush

Synonyms: Verb

befoul,
begrime,
bemire,
besmirch,
blacken,
daub,
dirty,
distain
[archaic],
foul,
gaum
[dialect],
grime,
muck,
muddy,
smirch,
smudge,
soil,
stain,
sully

Antonyms: Verb

clean,
cleanse

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: Noun But raising the debt ceiling has become stuck in partisan mire, leaving the United States hurtling toward default and raising hard questions about what expenses might not get paid. — Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2021 With one foot in the early-internet, pre-9/11, pre–Great Recession world and the other in the contemporary mire of social media, unstable work, and a housing crisis, Millennials are acutely aware of senselessness. — Hannah Williams, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2021 Videos posted online showed entire neighborhoods covered in waist-deep water and vehicles floating in the muddy mire. — Fox News, 21 July 2021 In the mire of America’s racial reckoning, Shop Circulate is bringing the vision of Tulsa’s Black Wall Street into the digital age. — Joshua Burrell, Forbes, 3 June 2021 Minow adeptly contrasted the shining technological advances of the ‘60s with the muck and mire of TV programming. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021 In essence, the art of connecting has been lost in the mire of the new normal. — Ira Bedzow, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2021 Vasyugan mire is found in the western plains of this large Russian region known for its extreme cold. — Jason Gay, WSJ, 7 Apr. 2021 Local officials blame inaction on a mire of overlapping jurisdictions and divided responsibility. — Susan Du, Star Tribune, 31 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 But several issues would mire the road to reopening in the museum, including issues with the building’s roof and fire safety. — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 10 Aug. 2021 Sexton has been impressive, as well, but the Cavs have not taken advantage, continuing to mire themselves in mediocrity that only LeBron James seems to be able to remedy. — orlandosentinel.com, 29 July 2021 But his book doesn’t mire itself in the latest bioethics debates, most of which have become dizzyingly complex in the past few years. — Nora Kenney, National Review, 22 July 2021

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

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Learn More About mire

Dictionary Entries Near mire

mird

mire

mire crow

Statistics for mire

Last Updated

17 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Mire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mire. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.

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More Definitions for mire

mire

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mire

: thick and deep mud

See the full definition for mire in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mire

noun

\ ˈmīr

Kids Definition of mire

(Entry 1 of 2)

: heavy deep mud

mire

verb

mired; miring

Kids Definition of mire (Entry 2 of 2)

: to stick or cause to become stuck in or as if in heavy deep mud A wagon was mired in the swamp.

mire

noun

\ ˈmī(ə)r

Medical Definition of mire

: 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