Synonyms of mire

mire 1 of 2

noun

ˈmī(-ə)r 

1

as in mud

soft wet earth

played on a football field that was thick with mire

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mud
• muck
• sludge
• ooze
• gravel
• sand
• slime
• dirt
• silt
• slop
• guck
• slush
• clay
• soil
• loam
• humus
• gumbo

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

• marsh
• swamp
• wetland
• bog
• morass
• slough
• mud
• wash
• fen
• muskeg
• swampland
• marshland
• moor
• quagmire
• swale
• muck
• sludge
• ooze
• slime
• guck
• slop
• slush

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

• predicament
• pickle
• dilemma
• swamp
• hole
• bind
• quagmire
• corner
• impasse
• jam
• difficulty
• box
• fix
• crisis
• spot
• kettle of fish
• plight
• rabbit hole
• rattrap
• sticky wicket
• jackpot
• trouble
• catch-22
• soup
• node
• hot water
• quandary
• standstill
• emergency
• stalemate
• halt
• pinch
• deadlock
• strait
• scrape
• clutch
• crossroad
• exigency
• logjam
• juncture

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

• stain
• muck
• dirty
• soil
• blacken
• muddy
• mess
• grime
• smudge
• sully
• besmirch
• smirch
• befoul
• daub
• distain
• foul
• bemire
• gaum
• pollute
• taint
• begrime
• contaminate
• disarray
• defile
• muddle
• jumble
• discolor
• disarrange
• disorder
• draggle
• confuse
• dishevel
• crock
• colly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• clean
• cleanse
• purge
• purify
• dust
• sweep
• decontaminate
• wash
• brush
• wipe
• scrub
• mop
• rinse
• scour
• disinfect
• sanitize
• renew
• launder
• brighten
• spruce (up)
• straighten (up)
• freshen
• tidy (up)
• dry-clean
• deodorize

2

as in to trap

to place in conflict or difficulties

the case has been mired in probate court for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trap
• tangle
• embroil
• bog (down)
• broil
• enmesh
• ensnare
• embrangle
• snare
• entrap
• entangle
• ensnarl

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• free
• release
• liberate
• emancipate

Example Sentences

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

In 2022, the Dolphins were mired in a five-game losing streak late in the season and somehow found a way to scratch out an ugly victory against the New York Jets, 11-6, in the finale to earn a wildcard playoff berth. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Now, we’re mired in a war in Iran without apparent end, the gulf is blocked and the Red Sea potentially blocked — sending oil prices soaring. — Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026