swamp

  • 1Swamp — Swamp, n. [Cf. AS. swam a fungus, OD. swam a sponge, D. zwam a fungus, G. schwamm a sponge, Icel. sv[ o]ppr, Dan. & Sw. swamp, Goth. swamms, Gr. somfo s porous, spongy.] Wet, spongy land; soft, low ground saturated with water, but not usually… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2swamp — [swɒmp ǁ swɑːmp] verb [transitive] 1. to suddenly give someone a lot of work or things to deal with: • The flood of orders swamped some understaffed trading desks. swamp be swamped (with something) • Brokers said they were swamped with calls… …

    Financial and business terms

  • 3swamp — [swämp, swômp] n. [< dial. var. (or LowG cognate) of ME sompe, akin to MLowG swamp, Goth & OE swamm, fungus, mushroom < IE base * swomb(h)os, spongy, porous > Gr somphos, spongy] a piece of wet, spongy land that is permanently or… …

    English World dictionary

  • 4swamp — 1624 (first used by Capt. John Smith, in reference to Virginia), perhaps a dialectal survival from an O.E. cognate of O.N. svoppr sponge, fungus, from P.Gmc. *swampuz; but traditionally connected with M.E. sompe morass, swamp, probably from M.Du …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 5swamp — swamp; swamp·ber·ry; swamp·er; swamp·i·ness; …

    English syllables

  • 6swamp|y — «SWOM pee, SWM », adjective, swamp|i|er, swamp|i|est. 1. like a swamp; soft and wet: »swampy ground. The front yard is swampy from the heavy rain. SYNONYM(S): boggy, marshy …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 7Swamp — Swamp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swamped}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Swamping}.] 1. To plunge or sink into a swamp. [1913 Webster] 2. (Naut.) To cause (a boat) to become filled with water; to capsize or sink by whelming with water. [1913 Webster] 3. Fig.: To… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 8Swamp — Swamp, v. i. 1. To sink or stick in a swamp; figuratively, to become involved in insuperable difficulties. [1913 Webster] 2. To become filled with water, as a boat; to founder; to capsize or sink; figuratively, to be ruined; to be wrecked. [1913… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 9swamp — [n] wet land covered with vegetation bog, bottoms, everglade, fen, glade, holm, marsh, marshland, mire, moor, morass, mud, muskeg, peat bog, polder, quag, quagmire, slough, swale, swampland; concept 509 swamp [v] overwhelm, flood beset, besiege,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 10swamp|er — «SWOM puhr, SWM », noun. U.S. 1. a person who lives in a swamp or swampy region: »Everybody thought we were just a state of hillbillies and swampers (Time). 2. a) a person who works clearing roads for lumberjacks or clearing fallen trees of limbs …

    Useful english dictionary