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.
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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.
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2
as in to shuffle
to roll around in an ungainly manner
We saw a herd of cattle wallowing in the marsh.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wallow
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
Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
The 40-foot-long internet phenomenon had been wallowing in shallow waters near Germany since March.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
Most like to be clean, although wallowing in the mud does help keep them cool and protected from insects and the sun.
—Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
The 40-foot-long internet phenomenon had been wallowing in shallow waters near Germany since March.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for wallow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wallow
Noun
-
The parasitic bug resembling a housefly lays its eggs inside living animals like livestock, and the maggots hatched from those eggs burrow into their hosts and eat them alive.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
Next, the larvae burrow down into the carpet, pupating in a protective cocoon that encompasses carpet fibers and other floor debris from the environment.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The pair sequester themselves in a shed while guests revel outside in the sunshine.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Nebraska fans with seats around the tunnel spotted them, because thousands of Nebraska fans were still in their seats, reveling, the music still thumping in the arena, as if some kind of encore would be happening.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other major destinations, which have seen their order in the top-six markets by size shuffle rapidly in recent months, painted a mixed picture.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
First responders arrived at the scene on a report of a child falling into the actively flowing ditch.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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Those sorts of unexpected shifts are what make Vile’s brand of self-absorption so uniquely absorbing after all these years, even as Philadelphia leans into his familiar formula of ’70s-Neil ditch-digging filtered through ’80s-Springsteen production and stretched across ’90s-CD sprawl.—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Ollinger was known to indulge fans with tales of unusual encounters with possible paranormal connection.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
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The sun’s ingress into Cancer later this month, for instance, brings focus to themes of travel, education and long-term visions, making this a pivotal month to explore (and indulge) what gives your life purpose and meaning.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
Verb
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After multiple practice runs on Saturday, thousands of people swayed in sync along a long stretch of Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma for several minutes.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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The Tigers would head to the Sugar Bowl by way of conference tie-ins, and while another top-10 victory over Virginia Tech in New Orleans would sway several other pollsters to rank Auburn as the top team in the land, the big ones that counted awarded the Trojans with the crystal football instead.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
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An upper level trough across the Pacific Northwest, which has been keeping temperatures cooler, is expected to break down, according to the National Weather Service.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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Goldman Sachs’ team penciled in positive free cash flow for 2031 of more than $72 billion after hitting a trough of negative $105 billion in 2029, a person familiar with the matter has said.—
Bailey Lipschultz,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Park bolts downstairs to the Winter Gala, where his wife is about to take the stage and bask in the glow of her new philanthropy role.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
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Only one of these companies could reach the Pacific first and bask in all of the publicity to follow.—
Eric Moskowitz,
The Atlantic,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wallow. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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