swamp

\ ˈswämp

How to pronounce swamp (audio)

, 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

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 People were murdered, shot down, had to hide in the swamps. ... — Christina Maxouris, CNN, "A new monument will honor the victims of a century-old racist massacre. Some say it's not where it should be," 28 Sep. 2019 During their stay, the family spent several days in the water, including at a beach in Destin, a creek and a swamp in Boggy Bayou. — Fox News, "Florida woman says dad died of flesh-eating bacteria less than 48 hours after entering water," 13 July 2019 As Grylls made his way through the swamp, the rope sank down into the water, where crocodiles were sitting nearby. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Running Wild with Bear Grylls," 6 Nov. 2019 Instead of draining the swamp, his plan was to fill it with animals that could rip people, many of whom are children, apart before killing them. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Is Anyone Still Supporting a Supervillain like Trump?," 15 Oct. 2019 The most effective space inside 13th Floor is a section where green lights and fog create the effect of walking through a murky swamp. — Noelle Phillips, The Know, "What makes the 13th Floor Haunted House so scary? Science, that’s what.," 9 Oct. 2019 To them, stocking the courts with conservative judges now counts as swamp-draining. — Noah Bierman, latimes.com, "Trump shifts meaning of 'Drain the Swamp' from ethics to anything he objects to," 9 Feb. 2018 Locke spent her childhood traveling the rural byways of that stretch, visiting relatives in Lufkin, Corrigan and Marshall, looking out the window on vistas of swamps and creeks, on rural folks selling boiled peanuts and peach jam. — Madhulika Sikka, Washington Post, "Attica Locke left Hollywood to write novels. Now she’s found success in both worlds.," 16 Sep. 2019 Its willingness to serve places Western firms steer clear of is also a factor: who else besides Huawei would wade through malarial swamps in Africa and haul base stations up the flanks of Colombian mountains? — The Economist, "Ren Zhengfei may sell Huawei’s 5G technology to a Western buyer," 11 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Tales of dysfunction in her campaign braintrust swamped her media coverage. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "The new trend at NATO could mean trouble for Trump," 3 Dec. 2019 Kentucky swamped Louisville even though the Wildcats had only 4 passing yards, by completing one of their two passes on Saturday. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "10 SEC football numbers from Week 14 of the 2019 season," 3 Dec. 2019 Increases to the minimum wage are likely to be swamped — at least in this measure — by the gains of workers at the top. — Kevin Quealy, New York Times, "Watch 4 Decades of Inequality Drive American Cities Apart," 2 Dec. 2019 The region is predicting two feet of sea rise by 2060, which is enough to swamp most of the Keys twice a day, according to a NOAA study. — Alex Harris, sun-sentinel.com, "The Keys face huge bill to survive sea rise. They’re asking Florida for help," 1 Dec. 2019 Rising seas are swamping subways, suburban neighborhoods and even cemeteries. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "Welp, the Latest UN Climate Change Report Sure Is Bleak," 26 Nov. 2019 Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, warns of a fictitious plot to swamp his Christian country with Muslims. — The Economist, "Migration To make the world richer, let people move," 14 Nov. 2019 Perwaiz, 69, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was arrested last week in a case that has drawn outrage and prompted patients seeking their medical records to swamp his offices. — Washington Post, "Virginia doctor accused of performing unnecessary surgeries," 14 Nov. 2019 The Lynx scored 552 points to swamp the rest of the field. — Anchorage Daily News, "Lynx sink the competition for their 10th straight sweep of team titles at CIC swim championships," 3 Nov. 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.

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Last Updated

7 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Swamp.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swamping. Accessed 8 December 2019.

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More Definitions for swamp

swamp

noun

English Language Learners Definition of swamp

(Entry 1 of 2)

: land that is always wet and often partly covered with water

swamp

verb

English Language Learners Definition of swamp (Entry 2 of 2)

: to cover (something) with water

: to cause (someone or something) to have to deal with a very large amount of things or people at the same time

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

swamp

\ ˈswämp

\

Kids Definition of swamp

(Entry 1 of 2)

: wet spongy land often partly covered with water

swamp

swamped; swamping

Kids Definition of swamp (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to fill or cause to fill with water : sink after filling with water High waves swamped the boat. The boat swamped.

2 : overwhelm sense 1 She was swamped with work.

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WORD OF THE DAY

circumscribe

to constrict the range or activity of

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