swamp

1 of 2

noun

ˈswämp How to pronounce swamp (audio)
ˈswȯmp
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 adjective

swamp

2 of 2

verb

swamped; swamping; swamps

transitive verb

1
a
: 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

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
According to the Xerces Society, folks who live in the southeast part of the country, i.e. Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and four other states, should plant butterfly milkweed, whorled milkweed and swamp milkweed. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Scientists have warned that mining near the Okefenokee's bowl-like rim could irreparably harm the swamp’s ability to hold water and increase the frequency of withering droughts. Russ Bynum, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Traditional data lakes, although initially designed to handle this growth, have become data swamps, collecting endless amounts of data that people need help with. Ranjan Parthasarathy, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 George Santos was junior varsity compared to the regular swamp professionals: President Biden and several sitting members of Congress. Destiny Torres, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 The Shrimp Sandwich & Chips Combo comes with six pieces of fried shrimp on a warm bun with lettuce, tomato and swamp sauce. Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 The ancient serpent lived in the steamy swamps of the Eocene over 40 million years ago, in what is now northeastern Colombia. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 The team believes his brutal death may have been part of a religious sacrifice in the swamp. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 And the woods can be pocked with streams, ponds and swamps that freeze quickly. Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
Verb
That news is likely to bring relief to river communities, many of which were swamped with near-record floodwaters last spring. Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 Even for those who have landed a steady job, work permits are a temporary solution while asylum courts remain swamped with applications that now take years to adjudicate, subjecting applicants to perpetual uncertainty. Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 But those benefits are now being swamped by another source of air pollution, one that’s far less directly manageable than cars and power plants: climate change. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2024 That’s just one of the lessons of this emotionally swamping, completely addictive British series starring The White Lotus’s Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024 Trump swamped Haley among immigration voters, while the contest between them was closer among economy voters. Gary Langer, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2024 South Carolina polls averaged by fivethirtyeight.com put Trump swamping Haley by 60.9% to 24.8%, with DeSantis trailing in single digits, at 8.9%. Susan Page, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 Point Loma Nazarene was thrown a curve just days before the 2024 season began, when the rainstorm that swamped San Diego created a sinkhole in the outfield at Carroll B. Land Stadium. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024 The [only] delay was that SAG was swamped with requests from so many independents looking to promote or start filming. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swamp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration of Middle English sompe, from Middle Dutch somp morass; akin to Middle High German sumpf marsh, Greek somphos spongy

First Known Use

Noun

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1784, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of swamp was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near swamp

Cite this Entry

“Swamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swamp. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swamp

1 of 2 noun
ˈswämp How to pronounce swamp (audio)
ˈswȯmp
: wet spongy land often partly covered with water

swamp

2 of 2 verb
1
: to fill or become filled with or as if with water
2
: overwhelm sense 2
was swamped with work

More from Merriam-Webster on swamp

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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