mired

verb

past tense of mire
1
as in stained
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trapped
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 mired Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates, mired in a funk and aiming to turn things around, instead looked flat and struggled at home Saturday night in a 2-1 loss to a Toronto team that had won just one of its previous 14 games. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026 The country is mired in a war with Iran with no graceful exit opportunities; a new round of tariffs threatens to further disrupt fragile global trade relations; and the domestic economy faces inflation combined with paltry growth. — Zachary Karabell, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026 Eric Miller was hired to help restore confidence in a school district mired in one of the worst financial crises in its history. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 Such limitations affect untold individuals and families as well as the overall development of a country mired in decades of civil war and foreign occupation. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2026 News of the sale comes as Walter’s financial business is mired in legal trouble. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026 The 30-year-old Watson's tenure with the Browns has been mired by injuries and turmoil. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 Sudan has been mired in a brutal civil between government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than three years. — Kate Bartlett, NPR, 7 Aug. 2026 Other projects have been mired in litigation, including plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mired
  1. stained
  2. trapped
  3. blackened
  4. embroiled
  5. dirtied
  6. tangled
  7. messed
  8. muddied
Verb
  • After his death, Bob’s became the de facto location for fans needing to pay homage to the beloved director, piled high with tributes of cigarettes, cans of Coke, donuts, slices of pie and tear-stained letters of gratitude.
    — Amanda Karkoutly, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • This means clearing out old backpacks and lunch boxes that are broken, stained, or no longer useful.
    — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of stained
Verb
  • Both helicopter pilots were initially trapped, but one of them was able to push out a window and get both of them out, Bivens disclosed.
    — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Bivens said the two pilots were initially trapped inside the helicopter.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of trapped
Verb
  • Timber Fire Monterey County’s Timber Fire burning near Big Sur has blackened nearly 2,500 acres since its start Monday afternoon and is 5% contained.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The old silver and gold shops, their facades blackened by time, were gone.
    — Lina Sergie Attar, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of blackened
Verb
  • After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are embroiled in conflict.
    — Grant Peck, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Google became embroiled in a prior controversy in February 2024 after its Gemini text-to-image tool produced portrayals of racially diverse German WW2 soldiers.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of embroiled
Verb
  • When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
Definition of dirtied
Verb
  • Vikings rookie cornerback Da'Veawn Armstead had a punch thrown at him by the Ravens' Keyon Martin after the two got tangled up in one-on-one drills.
    — Ren Clayton, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The two candidates tangled over the future of single-family neighborhoods and Senate Bill 79, which requires that cities approve taller and denser development near certain public transit stops.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tangled
Verb
  • In Argentina, however, the Barras bravas remain a muscular, not-to-be-messed-with presence.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The May 23 rainout in New York that messed with their vibe.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 June 2026
Definition of messed
Verb
  • Like emo in the early to mid ’00s, the genre marker has been muddied to the point of near meaninglessness.
    — Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Some choices stray a bit too far from the immediacy of Lay’s voice and melodies, and in doing so, the sound gets muddied.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026
Definition of muddied

Browse Nearby Words

mire
mired
mires
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mired. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All