wallow 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wallownext
as in burrow
a sunken and often wet area like that used by animals to roll in The pig seemed happy to lie in its muddy wallow.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

wallow

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to revel
to completely give (oneself) over to something (such as an emotion) After being laid off, he spent much of his time wallowing in self-pity. They wallowed in all the indulgences provided by the resort.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in to shuffle
to roll around in an ungainly manner We saw a herd of cattle wallowing in the marsh.

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 wallow
Noun
The show is an eccentric wallow through the morgue of history. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025 The Harris hotel site was a steep elevation above the creek, with a mud wallow in front of it. — Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
Massive, lumpy-looking hippos, who prefer to wallow or swim slowly in water pools, lakes, and rivers can run as fast as 25 km/h (about 70 meters in 10 seconds), a respectable sprinting speed not to be matched by most adults trying to outrun an enraged animal. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for wallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wallow
  1. burrow
  2. revel
  3. shuffle
  4. ditch
  5. indulge
  6. sway
  7. trough
  8. bask
Noun
  • When the eggs hatch, the fly larvae burrow inside the earwig and eat it from the inside out.
    — Hannah Smith July 22, Idaho Statesman, 22 July 2026
  • But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of burrow
Verb
  • And on Wednesday, here in Atlanta, the Argentines turned a tourist attraction called Underground Atlanta into Underground Argentina, reveling with drums, chants, and dancing after beating England, 2-1, to earn a place in the championship game.
    — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 18 July 2026
  • Walker wore his Cardinals hat backward, chewed a big wad of bubble gum and reveled afterward in flashing his imitation Liberty Bell bling, the champions chain presented by Ryan Howard.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Definition of revel
Verb
  • While the downtown’s worth a visit on its own, most visitors shuffle in for a visit to Singing Beach, a stretch of fine sand just 10 minutes on foot from the train station.
    — Jenn Sinrich, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2026
  • Pre-shot routines such as Patrick Cantlay’s foot-shuffling and Brian Harman’s waggles have driven golf fans up a wall.
    — Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of shuffle
Noun
  • In August 1950 the area that came to be known as the Gaza Strip was cut off from the rest of Palestine by a ditch carved into the soil by a single-blade plough pulled by a tractor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
  • Some propose walls and ditches to keep people from migrating.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Lee indulges that emotional ambiguity, the way the pedal steel can blur the distinction between a frown and a smile.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
  • That’s what happens when a party and its voters stop seriously competing and instead indulge their passions and fever dreams.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of indulge
Verb
  • After a few hours under the hot sun, there was no better cool down than swaying to Babyface classics.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado July 22, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
  • Helado Tropical rewards those willing to sway in its intangible breeziness.
    — E.R. Pulgar, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026
Definition of sway
Noun
  • Conclusion Danaher represents a compelling opportunity to invest in the long-term growth of biologics, life sciences research, and precision medicine at a trough valuation.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • By Thursday, the Eastern Pacific trough that helped pump up the moisture earlier in the week will arrive, bringing a weak cold front and kicking off a late-week cooling trend.
    — Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 13 July 2026
Definition of trough
Verb
  • There was a dinner for 500 after the fashion show on Tuesday night, and he was besieged by guests wanting to talk to him, talk his picture, take selfies, and just bask in his glory.
    — Dylan Jones, Robb Report, 16 July 2026
  • The Toronto Blue Jays entered this season basking in the glow of a World Series run.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of bask

Browse Nearby Words

wallops
wallow
wallowed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wallow. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wallow

Nglish: Translation of wallow for Spanish Speakers

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 maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
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
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All