1
as in marshes
spongy land saturated or partially covered with water
be careful in the swamp, because alligators sometimes lurk there
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in pickles
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
with her credit cards maxed out, and the making of minimum payments a challenge, debt seemed to be an ever-deepening swamp
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in floods
to cover with a flood
the boat was swamped by the huge wave has been swamped with paperwork since she returned from vacation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelms
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
parents feeling swamped by work and family obligations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swamps
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
From the pine forests and black swamps to the marsh flats and on to the Gulf, the refuge burgeons with life in ways hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been there.
—Jeff Vandermeer, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
Its disaster response fleet includes boats, barges and helicopters that can transport team members and equipment through hard-to-reach areas including swamps and mountains after a disaster, according to Shannon Browning, the associate director of AT&T's Network Disaster Recovery team.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 4 June 2026
Little creeks meandered from lake to lake and through patches of lush grassy meadows and swamps, while the trail followed the higher ground covered with spruce.
—Anton Money, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
They're mostly found in the swamps, sloughs, wetlands, and drainage ditches of the western coastal plain, and are occasionally found around rivers and lakes.
—Jack Armstrong, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 3 June 2026
Sumatran orangutans live in the rainforests and swamps on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 30 May 2026
They are typically found in shallow ponds, swamps, canals, reservoirs, lakes and rivers.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
The ‘banter’ era settled in, with every collapse, every disappointment, every failure amplified in the fever swamps of social media.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Kennedy French, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The repairs should keep water from damaging the telescope, as cold, wet and windy weather arrives and swamps the Bay Area into next week, potentially bringing snow to Mount Hamilton.
—Joaquin Palomino, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
These many watering holes are reflective of the Lone Star state's varied geographic regions, from bald cypress swamps to mountainous desert lakes.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
From the pine forests and black swamps to the marsh flats and on to the Gulf, the refuge burgeons with life in ways hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been there.
—Jeff Vandermeer, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026
Its disaster response fleet includes boats, barges and helicopters that can transport team members and equipment through hard-to-reach areas including swamps and mountains after a disaster, according to Shannon Browning, the associate director of AT&T's Network Disaster Recovery team.
—Ayana Archie, NPR, 4 June 2026
Little creeks meandered from lake to lake and through patches of lush grassy meadows and swamps, while the trail followed the higher ground covered with spruce.
—Anton Money, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026
They're mostly found in the swamps, sloughs, wetlands, and drainage ditches of the western coastal plain, and are occasionally found around rivers and lakes.
—Jack Armstrong, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 3 June 2026
Sumatran orangutans live in the rainforests and swamps on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 30 May 2026
They are typically found in shallow ponds, swamps, canals, reservoirs, lakes and rivers.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
The ‘banter’ era settled in, with every collapse, every disappointment, every failure amplified in the fever swamps of social media.
—Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Verb
Though the darkness of the material never swamps the comedy, a balance McGee calibrated deliberately — less interested in the whodunit than in the women fumbling through it.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
The repairs should keep water from damaging the telescope, as cold, wet and windy weather arrives and swamps the Bay Area into next week, potentially bringing snow to Mount Hamilton.
—Joaquin Palomino, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swamps
Noun
-
State biologists also consider prescribed burns, 88,000 of which take place each year, as essential for restoring prairies, forests and marshes with new growth.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
No-see-ums breed in moist soil, marshes, sand, and in still or slow-moving bodies of water like streams, ponds, puddles, and freshwater areas.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
The renaissance embraces the pickles themselves, the flavor of their pickling and even their packaging.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
The fermentation in the miso and pickles is good for a healthy gut.—
Adam Yamaguchi,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
This floods the market with a black box of undifferentiated output.—
Anshul Gupta,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Melatonin floods the brain and body, telling each cell that night has come.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Bold pink, yellow, and blue tile typically overwhelms a bathroom, dictates its overall color scheme, and limits decor choices.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 June 2026
-
If 21st-century technology overwhelms our 18th-century institutions—if social media and AI destroy our capacity to think independently, evaluate facts, and recognize truth—Americans aren’t the only ones who will pay the price.—
Jeffrey Rosen,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Set on a tiny, exceedingly private spit of land deep inside a national park, the property spans wetlands, savanna, and Rwanda’s quintessential hillscapes.—
Todd Plummer,
Robb Report,
19 June 2026
-
With this growth came the construction of new factories, freeways and high-rise condos, while devastated wetlands once inhabited by cranes were systematically drained and repurposed for human use, never to return.—
The Los Angeles Times,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Rather than bridging shortfalls, both Seattle and Washington now face more difficult fiscal predicaments, Joblon said.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
-
The madman strategy is for not-crazy leaders caught in adverse predicaments.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So when the dog is lost in a severe storm that devastates the region and leaves many homeless, an overwhelmed Rose must balance the urgency of her search mission alongside the misfortune of others close to her.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 June 2026
-
Withholding effective treatment for chronic disease devastates lives and drives up healthcare costs.—
Karen R. Studer,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
But neither option, Kuntz explained, seems likely to resolve Hollywood’s dilemmas.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
-
Lead executives Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer will be dealing with far more pressing dilemmas on draft night and in the days that follow, but they’re also tasked with using the low-value pick to locate someone who can help Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets win immediately.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swamps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swamps. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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