swamp

[ swomp ]

noun

1. a tract of wet, spongy land, often having a growth of certain types of trees and other vegetation, but unfit for cultivation.

verb (used with object)

1. to flood or drench with water or the like.
2. Nautical. to sink or fill (a boat) with water.
3. to plunge or cause to sink in or as if in a swamp.
4. to overwhelm, especially to overwhelm with an excess of something:

   He swamped us with work.

5. to render helpless.
6. to remove trees and underbrush from (a specific area), especially to make or cleave a trail (often followed by out ).
7. to trim (felled trees) into logs, as at a logging camp or sawmill.

verb (used without object)

1. to fill with water and sink, as a boat.
2. to sink or be stuck in a swamp or something likened to a swamp.
3. to be plunged into or overwhelmed with something, especially something that keeps one busy, worried, etc.

swamp

/ swɒmp /

noun

1. 1. permanently waterlogged ground that is usually overgrown and sometimes partly forested Compare marsh
   2. ( as modifier )

      swamp fever

verb

1. to drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
2. nautical to cause (a boat) to sink or fill with water or (of a boat) to sink or fill with water
3. to overburden or overwhelm or be overburdened or overwhelmed, as by excess work or great numbers

   we have been swamped with applications

4. to sink or stick or cause to sink or stick in or as if in a swamp
5. tr to render helpless

swamp

/ swŏmp /

1. An area of low-lying wet or seasonally flooded land, often having trees and dense shrubs or thickets.

Derived Forms

• ˈswampy, adjective
• ˈswampish, adjective
• ˈswampless, adjective

Other Words From

• swamp·ish adjective
• un·der·swamp noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of swamp¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Dutch zwamp “creek, fen”; akin to sump and to Middle Low German swamp, Old Norse svǫppr “sponge”

Word History and Origins

Origin of swamp¹

C17: probably from Middle Dutch somp; compare Middle High German sumpf, Old Norse svöppr sponge, Greek somphos spongy

Example Sentences

A number of pieces showed off Wise’s facility with an FM radio-friendly pop-rock sound: “Hot Head Bop” had an irresistible bass lick, “Mining Melancholy” was driven by pickax percussion and “Bayou Boogie” borrowed — for the swamp level — the doom-laden opening drum pattern from Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight.”

From New York Times

Fresh off the tour of her critically acclaimed “Alligator Bites Never Heal” mixtape — which made her the most nominated female rapper for the 2025 Grammy awards — the “Swamp Princess” who hails from Tampa opened up her high-energy set with the standout “Boom Bap.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Lakers looked as though they were trudging through the swamp — they were slow to rebounds, late to rotations and, uncharacteristically, a mess on offense.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite his status as an avatar of corrupt politicians, Santos sees the controversy around Trump's picks as "the swamp" closing ranks.

From Salon

“I think it’s f**king hilarious. Hilarious to watch the swamp struggle with the existential crisis that’s been shoved in their faces by the American people,” Santos said, chalking up the pushback to sour grapes.

From Salon

Related Words

• bog
• marshland
• morass
• mud
• quagmire