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
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
Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 5 June 2025
The Atchafalaya River Basin is the country’s largest river swamp.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
Williams was chased out of her home again by flooding in September 2022 when Hurricane Ian swamped Central Florida, dumping nearly 15 inches in some spots.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swamp
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Noun
But the effect of duration swamps the measurement: that’s why the bTRIMP graph above shows the 60-minute easy run (LIT) as the workout with the biggest training load.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 5 June 2025
The Atchafalaya River Basin is the country’s largest river swamp.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
Verb
City Council meetings in the largely progressive city have been so swamped by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to speak and demand a ceasefire resolution that the council adopted new rules and moved many meetings online.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025
Williams was chased out of her home again by flooding in September 2022 when Hurricane Ian swamped Central Florida, dumping nearly 15 inches in some spots.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swamp
Cite this Entry
“Swamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swamp. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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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