swamp

noun

\ ˈswämp

, ˈswȯmp\

Definition of swamp

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a wetland often partially or intermittently covered with water especially : one dominated by woody vegetation

2 : a tract of swamp

3 : a difficult or troublesome situation or subject

swamp

verb

swamped; swamping; swamps

Definition of swamp (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to fill with or as if with water : inundate, submerge

b : to overwhelm numerically or by an excess of something : flood swamped with work

2 : to open by removing underbrush and debris

intransitive verb

: to become submerged

Other Words from swamp Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about swamp

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Examples of swamp in a Sentence

Noun

Alligators live in the lowland swamps. be careful in the swamp, because alligators sometimes lurk there

Verb

The sea level rose and swamped the coastal villages. The boat sank after it was swamped by waves.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Over mountains and swamps, through castles and ziggurats, anywhere the World of Warcraft might lead. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "One Big Dream: Yao Ming Wants to Make Chinese Basketball Global," 27 June 2019 Every year on June 26, riders take to the swamps of Donana National Park, in southern Spain, for a roundup of wild horses. — Mark Dufrene, The Mercury News, "Photos: Wild horses are rounded up for sale in Spain during “Saca de las Yeguas”," 26 June 2019 For more than a marathon distance, our steps were squish and sponge in faint four-wheeler tracks pressed into the elevated swamps. — Anchorage Daily News, "A 60-mile walk under the midnight sun, with no stops for sleep," 22 June 2019 Most of the trees planted were different types of native oak, including swamp white, burr, red and chinquapin. — Frank Vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "The ash trees are gone and maples are in decline, Homewood boosts its canopy with new oaks, beech trees," 7 June 2019 Drain the boob swamp for good with just a little antiperspirant. — Elizabeth Denton, Seventeen, "12 Curvy Girl Fashion Hacks to Get You Through Summer," 23 May 2019 Plots are more like muddy swamps where the only thing that's growing is mold and disease and mosquitoes. Unseen and unprecedented The planting reports confirm this. — Carol Motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio's farmland is underwater and unrecognizable. The impact will last even longer than the rain," 19 June 2019 But one of the best parts of my job is tackling the disaster swamp that is my house with the latest, greatest cleaning tech and passing on my findings to you. — Adrienne So, WIRED, "The Best Gear to Help You Clean Up Your Act—and Your House," 17 June 2019 Spanning nearly 4,000 square miles on both sides of the Indian-Bangladeshi border, this dense swamp of flood-tolerant trees stands as a green wall, absorbing storm surges and blunting even the worst cyclones. — Peter Schwartzstein, National Geographic, "This vanishing forest protects the coasts—and lives—of two countries," 17 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Intermarriage had swamped the genetic heritage of the European immigrants, Krause suggests. — Ann Gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Biblical Philistines—archenemies of ancient Israelites—hailed from Europe, DNA reveals," 3 July 2019 Other cities at risk: Earth's oceans could rise over 6 feet by 2100 as ice melts, swamping NYC, other cities Texas A&M Galveston’s population has doubled in the decade after Hurricane Ike to around 3,000 students. — Max Cohen, USA TODAY, "'Let's double down.' Climate change could put these colleges underwater. Why they're staying put," 1 July 2019 The Texas Department of Agriculture, which, once the federal rules are made, will create a Texas hemp program, is also being swamped. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Hemp rush begins on West Texas farms," 29 June 2019 Unusually heavy monsoon rains spurred the state’s most devastating flooding in nearly a hundred years, swamping its coastal regions and killing nearly 500 people while displacing hundreds of thousands more. — Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, "Why You Should Visit Southern India on Your Next Vacation," 22 June 2019 That is partly a reflection of his character, because his sense of grievance swamps his feelings of triumph. — The Economist, "Donald Trump launches his re-election campaign," 20 June 2019 Increased reservoir releases are also keeping swamped land from drying out. — Washington Post, "Officials: Rain, high reservoir releases to mean wet summer," 20 June 2019 By midmorning, as Kerr and Myers conducted exit interviews at the practice facility in Oakland, a flood of news and takes swamped social media. — Chris Ballard, SI.com, "A New Beginning: The Warriors Face an Uncertain Future," 15 June 2019 The biggest economic risk of a Donald Trump Presidency has always been that his trade obsessions would swamp the benefits of tax reform and deregulation. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Tariff Man Unchained," 31 May 2019

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