quagmire
noun
quag·mire
ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r 
ˈkwäg-
ˈkwäg-
plural quagmires
1
: soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot
2
: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament
Examples of quagmire in a Sentence
That was six months ago, when the Defense secretary laughingly dismissed the idea that Iraq was, or could turn into, a quagmire. But as Rumsfeld sat down last Friday morning to face Sen. John McCain, who spent six years in a Vietnamese prison, no one was laughing.
—
Michael Hirsh et al., Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2003
State involvement will create a vast bioethical quagmire. Even if everyone magically agrees that improving a child's memory is as valid as avoiding dyslexia, there will still be things taxpayers aren't ready to pay for—genes of unproven benefit, say, or alterations whose downsides may exceed the upside.
—Robert Wright, Time, 11 Jan.1999
the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election
a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire
Michael Hirsh et al., Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2003
State involvement will create a vast bioethical quagmire. Even if everyone magically agrees that improving a child's memory is as valid as avoiding dyslexia, there will still be things taxpayers aren't ready to pay for—genes of unproven benefit, say, or alterations whose downsides may exceed the upside.
—Robert Wright, Time, 11 Jan.1999
the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election
a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire
Recent Examples on the Web
Iran’s nuclear and military capacity has been reduced, its network of proxies largely smashed, the friendly Assad regime in Syria gone, a quagmire resulting from regime change in Tehran avoided.
—Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
After promising not to, Trump plunged us into another military quagmire.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 23 June 2025
Here the film, like Clémence’s life, forks into two: One part of her carries on her professional, personal and romantic life, the other takes on the near-full-time job of fighting through a legal quagmire to have her maternal rights restored.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2025
Chase Sui Wonders has been lobbying for Kristen Stewart, suggesting a plot about identity politics as a quagmire for her character and Stewart to get into.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
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.
Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
After promising not to, Trump plunged us into another military quagmire.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 23 June 2025
Here the film, like Clémence’s life, forks into two: One part of her carries on her professional, personal and romantic life, the other takes on the near-full-time job of fighting through a legal quagmire to have her maternal rights restored.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 May 2025
Chase Sui Wonders has been lobbying for Kristen Stewart, suggesting a plot about identity politics as a quagmire for her character and Stewart to get into.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quagmire. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quagmire
noun
quag·mire
ˈkwag-ˌmī(ə)r
ˈkwäg-
ˈkwäg-
1
: soft spongy wet ground that shakes or gives way under the foot
2
: a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share