mire
mire Lexical Profile
mire Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To involve someone or something deeply in a difficult, complex, or restrictive situation.
"The administration spent years mired in political controversies that distracted from their legislative agenda."
To cause to become stuck in mud.
"The heavy artillery was completely mired in the unpaved roads after the spring thaw."
• noun
A situation or state of difficulty, distress, or embarrassment from which it is hard to extricate oneself.
"The ambitious infrastructure project soon sank into a bureaucratic mire of permits and budget overruns."
A stretch of swampy or boggy ground that is deep with mud.
"The heavy rains transformed the valley into a muddy mire, making travel by wagon impossible."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently used figuratively in its past participle form ('mired') to describe being hopelessly stuck in a complex, slow-moving, or unpleasant situation, such as bureaucracy or controversy.
• Rhymes for mire
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'mire', borrowed from Old Norse 'mýrr' (bog, swamp), which shares a Germanic root with the Old English word 'mos' (moss).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.