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

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2
as in trapped
to place in conflict or difficulties the case has been mired in probate court for years

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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 The duo is mired in an international slump marked by pullbacks from key regions after being threatened with sanctions. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Know More The socialist organization is now mired in procedural infighting. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Yet its cities are mired in chaos and flames as protesters decry the lack of government funding for education. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026 Given that the United States keeps getting mired in errant conflicts, Congress urgently needs to reassert its constitutional obligation to approve acts of war and oversee retrenchment. — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 And once again, she’s mired in a blend of cautious excitement and raw anxiety. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2026 Watkins left office after one term mired in controversy, and facing criminal charges for listing his home address as a UPS store when registering to vote. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026 Now the countries are mired in a tit-for-tat dispute, with both countries escalating tariffs on each other. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 Belgium is mired in public debt, like its neighbor France and also Italy. — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mired
  1. stained
  2. trapped
  3. blackened
  4. embroiled
  5. dirtied
  6. tangled
  7. messed
  8. muddied
Verb
  • Bookshelves are crammed with novels and almanacs, the wood boards of the ceilings stained dark in delicious contrast to the clean white walls and creamy linen furnishings.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The yellow color from the fenbendazole stained his white goatee.
    — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of stained
Verb
  • Russia and Ukraine are engaged in talks on ending the plight of people trapped in Oleshky, Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview with Espreso.
    — SAMYA KULLAB, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The friction over editorial decisions, particularly around Israel, has trapped CBS in its own Middle East media war.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of trapped
Verb
  • The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh.
    — Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Footage shot later at daybreak showed the house gutted, charred and blackened from the inside out.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of blackened
Verb
  • Alvarado has held senior roles in multiple Betancourt businesses, including as chief financial officer of an energy firm that became embroiled in scandals a decade ago.
    — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Nikon also runs the annual Small World in Motion video competition, which was embroiled in controversy this year.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 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
  • The costly dispute instead stretched for almost a decade, becoming tangled up with the War of the Austrian Succession.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Besides the challenge of rebuilding the tunnel, the railroad has been tangled for several years in legal disputes with the city of Fort Bragg and the California Coastal Commission.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of tangled
Verb
  • That book really messed me up in the sense of nothing is promised.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Had a couple calls in here that messed it up a little bit, but that’s the game.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of messed
Verb
  • Last-minute injury scratches to A’ja Wilson, USA’s leading scorer at the last three major tournaments, and Kelsey Plum muddied things even more.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • And Treasury’s bond-market intervention might have muddied market signals, so Warsh can credibly argue for time.
    — Liz Rappaport, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of muddied

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Cite this Entry

“Mired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mired. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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