mire

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈmaɪər/ UK /ˈmaɪə/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a stretch of swampy or boggy ground

The heavy rains turned the field into a mire.
2

noun
a complicated or unpleasant situation that is difficult to escape

He found himself in a mire of legal troubles.
3

verb
to involve someone or something in a difficult situation; to become stuck in mud

She was mired in debt after the business failed.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a stretch of swampy or... bog swamp quagmire marsh slough

2 noun · a complicated or unpleasant... predicament quandary mess entanglement jam

3 verb · to involve someone or... bog downsink entrap ensnare stall

Opposites

extricate free release

Word family

Forms miredmiry

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic mighr ('bog, swamp') through Old Norse míra ('bog, swamp') and Middle English mire ('bog, swamp') to modern English mire, denoting wet, swampy ground and, figuratively, entanglement.

Topics

Describing Qualities

# mire

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈmaɪər
**IPA (UK):** ˈmaɪə

## Meanings
1. a stretch of swampy or boggy ground
2. a complicated or unpleasant situation that is difficult to escape
3. to involve someone or something in a difficult situation; to become stuck in mud

## Examples
- The heavy rains turned the field into a mire.
- He found himself in a mire of legal troubles.
- She was mired in debt after the business failed.

## Synonyms
- bog
- swamp
- quagmire
- marsh
- slough
- predicament
- quandary
- mess
- entanglement
- bog down
- sink
- ensnare

## Antonyms
- extricate
- free
- release

## Etymology
From Proto-Germanic mighr ('bog, swamp') through Old Norse míra ('bog, swamp') and Middle English mire ('bog, swamp') to modern English mire, denoting wet, swampy ground and, figuratively, entanglement.

## AI Etymology
Mire comes from Proto-Germanic mighr ('bog, swamp') through Old Norse míra ('bog, swamp') and Middle English mire ('bog, swamp') to modern English mire, denoting wet, swampy ground and, figuratively, entanglement. In current use it is a noun and verb meaning "a stretch of swampy or boggy ground". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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mire

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