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

The ripe salt-sea smell, raw and delicious and foul, that rose up from the platform and haunted the marsh for miles around, was today tamped down by the freshwater air blowing down from the north. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Situated between busier coastal destinations this idyllic town and its marshes will immediately transport you back to your early carefree days playing in creeks, digging in pluff mud, catching crawfish, and tossing cast nets. — Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 16 July 2026

The couple fell ill in a Medici villa in Poggio a Caiano, near Florence, an area dotted with marshes and rice fields — ideal habitats for mosquitoes that can carry malaria. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 15 July 2026

Found over the eastern half of the state in swamps and sluggish waterways, coastal marshes, rivers, ponds and streams. — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 6 July 2026

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