1
: a wetland often partially or intermittently covered with water
especially
: one dominated by woody vegetation
2
: a tract of swamp
3
: a difficult or troublesome situation or subject
swamp
adjective
swamped; swamping; swamps
1
2
: to open by removing underbrush and debris
: to become submerged
Synonyms
Examples of swamp in a Sentence
Noun
Alligators live in the lowland swamps.
be careful in the swamp, because alligators sometimes lurk there
Verb
The sea level rose and swamped the coastal villages.
The boat sank after it was swamped by waves.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 July 2024
The natural world is no friend, either: in one of the film’s most wrenching scenes, a swamp in a Polish forest becomes a death trap.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 21 June 2024
David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024
One of the adults in the group hit the SOS button on their inReach immediately after the boats swamped.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for swamp 
Noun
Last chance to visit with Shrek at the swamp and Neo in the simulation.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 July 2024
The natural world is no friend, either: in one of the film’s most wrenching scenes, a swamp in a Polish forest becomes a death trap.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 21 June 2024
Verb
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Jared Perdue, state secretary of transportation, said their agencies performed markedly better than the monsoon-like rains that swamped South Florida on April 12, 2023.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024
One of the adults in the group hit the SOS button on their inReach immediately after the boats swamped.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for swamp
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swamp.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near swamp
Cite this Entry
“Swamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swamp. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swamp
1 of 2 noun
ˈswämp 
ˈswȯmp
: wet spongy land often partly covered with water
swamp
2 of 2 verb1
: to fill or become filled with or as if with water
2
: overwhelm sense 2
was swamped with work
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