swamp

views updated May 14 2018

swamp / swämp/ • n. an area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. ∎  used to emphasize the degree to which a piece of ground is waterlogged: the ceaseless deluge had turned the lawn into a swamp.• v. [tr.] overwhelm or flood with water: a huge wave swamped the canoes. ∎ fig. overwhelm with an excessive amount of something; inundate: feelings of guilt suddenly swamped her the country was swamped with goods from abroad. ∎  [intr.] (of a boat) become overwhelmed with water and sink.DERIVATIVES: swamp·y adj.

swamp

views updated May 14 2018

swamp Low-lying wetland area, found near large bodies of open water. Swamps are characterized by numerous plants and animals, including rushes and sedge in n regions, and species of trees, such as the swamp cypress, in warmer s areas. Swamps can prevent flooding by absorbing flood waters from rivers and coastal regions. See also Bog; marsh

swamp

views updated Jun 27 2018

swamp A wet area that is normally covered by water all year and is not subject to drying out during the summer. Compare fen and marsh.

swamp

views updated May 23 2018

swamp A wet area that is normally covered by water all year and is not subject to drying out during the summer. Compare FEN and MARSH.

swamp

views updated Jun 08 2018

swamp low-lying wet ground XVII; (local) depression in land XVIII. Identical in form with (dial.) swamp sunk (XIV), the notion of ‘depression, subsidence’ being perh. the connecting link.
Hence vb. (orig. pass.) XVII.

swamp

views updated May 23 2018

swamp See hydrosere.