mire 1 of 2

noun

ˈmī(-ə)r How to pronounce mire (audio)
Definition of mirenext
1
as in mud
soft wet earth played on a football field that was thick with mire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in marsh
spongy land saturated or partially covered with water much of the land in that area is mire that cannot be developed

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape an abused wife who was hopelessly stuck in a mire of emotional dependency

Synonyms & Similar Words

mire

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to stain
to make dirty the sight of the standard, which had emerged from the battle mangled and mired, still stirred the soldiers' hearts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to trap
to place in conflict or difficulties the case has been mired in probate court for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mire
Noun
The team found a major levoglucosan peak centered around 1128 CE, coinciding with a similar peak recorded from the Schwarzboden mire peat core, another important reservoir of atmospheric history sampled about 12 miles southeast of Weißseespitze. — Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2026 You're then left with a low-profile tow-anywhere trailer that wants nothing more than to grab hold of your favorite bikes and splash through mud and mire, hell and high water, to get you to your favorite trails, jumps and whoops. — New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
Our country right now is mired in a level of bullying and intolerance that, for some, might feed their fears, but won’t feed their family. — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 America, the world’s oldest, continuous, modern democracy, will soon celebrate its 250th birthday—mired in conflict and piloted by a belligerent and mercurial nationalist. — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mire
  1. mud
  2. marsh
  3. predicament
  4. stain
  5. trap
  6. swamp
  7. pickle
  8. muck
Noun
  • Video from inside the apartment shows furniture, baby clothing, and other supplies covered in mud.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 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
Definition of mud
Noun
  • Of course, there’s an aesthetic component to the National Park Service’s selection of land, too, as the landscapes range from wetlands and wildlife refuges to marshes.
    — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
  • Businesses impacted by sewer overflow The Great Marsh Shellfish Company is nestled in the marshes along the Rowley River.
    — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 29 June 2026
Definition of marsh
Noun
  • The combination of Olise’s footwork and Mbappé’s speed creates a don’t-know-where-to-turn predicament for France’s opponents.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
  • Potential romantic entanglement aside, these two have seriously different perspectives on Paula’s predicament.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 1 July 2026
Definition of predicament
Verb
  • The only part of her person not stained are the white circles around her eyes.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
  • Drinking water after coffee can help reduce acidity and wash away staining compounds.
    — Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 10 July 2026
Definition of stain
Verb
  • What to read next Within one lunar week (which is roughly seven months on Earth), over half the methane was trapped at the moon's cold polar areas, with a whopping 42% of the substance trapped at the south pole compared to 12% at the north pole.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 14 July 2026
  • The film follows a man trapped inside a bar, where reality begins to unravel in increasingly disturbing ways.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • 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
  • As whole house fans and swamp coolers can suck additional pollutants inside, the department recommends using air purifiers or air conditioners as alternatives when possible.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • Shoved in a corner was an adult-size pickle costume by the designer who made Katy Perry’s Super Bowl halftime-show sharks.
    — Emma Allen, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • The project includes everything from videos of an Indigenous musician performing a song about water in the Tongva language to brothers worrying about the future of their family’s 60-year-old pickle business in the face of gentrification.
    — Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of pickle
Verb
  • The Socceroos will try their best to muck it up and play a very defensive brand of soccer against America, while also boasting a great goalkeeper in Matthew Ryan.
    — Austin Perry, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026
  • But Ehlers has given Carolina a newfound level of offensive depth, especially given he’s meshed surprisingly well with Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook, two veteran checkers who have been mucking and grinding for years on a team that does that better than anyone.
    — James Mirtle, New York Times, 24 May 2026
Definition of muck

Browse Nearby Words

mirages
mire
mired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mire. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mire

Nglish: Translation of mire for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All