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
Relevance
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
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 swamps
Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The fire had reached nearby bays and swamps, which contributed to the challenging firefighting conditions.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
During construction, Black men shoveled mud through malarial swamps, while battling snakes and alligators in intense heat.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Post-Order 66 Jedi are often just lesser versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, skulking around in swamps and deserts, but this duo can't seem to stay away from the action.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Tiger Bay State Forest At more than 28,000 acres, this massive state forest is home to trails, swamps, pine islands, and numerous species of birds and wildlife, like Florida black bears and bald eagles.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
All seagrasses descend from a group of flowering plants that includes the arums and water plantains, many of which grow in swamps or along streams.
—David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
The pygmy hippopotamus, once thought to surface in the swamps, is believed to be extinct.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The Tibet-Butler Preserve boasts boardwalks and sandy trails that wind through pine forests, cypress swamps, and lakeside habitats.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 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
Workers of the 1920s waded into swamps, armed with axes and handsaws.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
The fire had reached nearby bays and swamps, which contributed to the challenging firefighting conditions.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
During construction, Black men shoveled mud through malarial swamps, while battling snakes and alligators in intense heat.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Post-Order 66 Jedi are often just lesser versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, skulking around in swamps and deserts, but this duo can't seem to stay away from the action.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Tiger Bay State Forest At more than 28,000 acres, this massive state forest is home to trails, swamps, pine islands, and numerous species of birds and wildlife, like Florida black bears and bald eagles.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
All seagrasses descend from a group of flowering plants that includes the arums and water plantains, many of which grow in swamps or along streams.
—David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
The pygmy hippopotamus, once thought to surface in the swamps, is believed to be extinct.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The Tibet-Butler Preserve boasts boardwalks and sandy trails that wind through pine forests, cypress swamps, and lakeside habitats.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 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
-
Book a kayak or paddleboard tour with Outer Banks Kayak Adventures for a morning or moonlight paddle through the marshes of the Roanoke Sound and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The fifth annual Toby's Earth Month Island-Wide Spring Litter Sweep took place in the city on Sunday, April 12, with residents, visitors, the South Carolina Aquarium and local community groups collecting pieces of trash from beaches, marshes and streets.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Its chicken salad scoop options include the Olivia’s Old South (sweet pickles and egg), Jalapeño Holly (with jalapeños), Nutty Nanna (with pecans and cashews), Barbie Q and more.—
Jenna Thompson
April 23,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
-
To begin, there are moreish pickles, warm soda bread, and thin slices of sweet Irish Coolea cheese.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Neuroscientists Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Samuel Wang, PhD, and Gary Small, MD explain how movement increases blood flow, boosts growth factors like BDNF, and floods the brain with mood-lifting neurochemicals.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
-
These pieces blend perfectly with lamps designed by Marcel Wanders, the subtle Ice Cream collection, and the natural light that floods the space, bringing the building’s century-old architecture to life.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To better understand the technicals, resistance happens when supply from sellers overwhelms demand from buyers, and the stock struggles to appreciate further; the opposite is true of support, which happens when demand from buyers overwhelms supply from sellers, and the stock tends to move higher.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
-
At the scale of ⁴²Ar, that interference completely overwhelms the signal, keeping it out of reach.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Between its streams, lakes, wetlands and floodplains, roughly a fifth of Lake County is covered by surface water, a proportion that likely increased slightly over the last month after multiple heavy rain events.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Ponda Ponda is betting that insulation can come from wetlands instead of oil or animals.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The madman strategy is for not-crazy leaders caught in adverse predicaments.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Journeys that used to take entire seasons were being covered in single episodes, characters survived predicaments that once meant surefire death, and previously relevant factors like supplies, infrastructure, and alliances no longer mattered.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Florida’s citrus industry has been in a steady decline the past 25 years because of Huanglongbing (also known as HLB and citrus greening disease), a bacterial disease that devastates citrus trees.—
Jim Turner,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Kyiv residents endure long daily blackouts as Russia devastates the power system, leaving tower block dwellers freezing in apartments with no heat or light.—
Derek Gatopoulos,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But that mood turns out to be a surprisingly strong fit for the performer at the center of director Pete Ohs’ story of personal dilemmas and natural disasters.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Since taking office in mid-2022, Marcos has grappled with multiple complex problems and political dilemmas.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swamps.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swamps. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
