noun
mire
MEYE-uh
noun
1
An area of deep, soft mud or wet, boggy ground.
"Their boots sank deep into the mire as they crossed the marsh."
2
A difficult or messy situation.
"The company was dragged into a legal mire that lasted years."
verb
1
To become stuck, as if in mud.
"Talks were mired in disagreement for months."
How to Use Mire
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWet, sticky mud, or — figuratively — being stuck in a messy problem.
Common pairings
mired in mud
mired in controversy
mired in debt
Word Forms
mired past tense, mires plural, mires plural, Mires plural, mires singular
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Their boots sank deep into the _____ as they crossed the marsh.
Etymology
From Old Norse mýrr ("bog, swamp"), related to Old English mos, the source of "moss."