Dismal Swamp

American  

noun

1. a swamp in SE Virginia and NE North Carolina. About 30 miles (48 km) long; about 600 sq. mi. (1,500 sq. km).

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Dismal Swamp British  

noun

1. a coastal marshland in SE Virginia and NE North Carolina: partly reclaimed. Area: about 1940 sq km (750 sq miles). Area before reclamation: 5200 sq km (2000 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

They can now inspect high-voltage power lines across the forested Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 6, 2022

We first spot Emily as a ghost flitting across the Great Dismal Swamp, but Levallois initially sees her as a beautiful young woman who represents “both a past and future that could be possessed.”

From Washington Post • May 14, 2018

A group of photographs of the Great Dismal Swamp, where escaped slaves sought refuge on the way north and many died, are also strong and harrowing.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2018

The Great Dismal Swamp, a few days’ walk at most from the Chowan River excavation, was long a destination for escaped slaves, who formed self-reliant communities in its inaccessible reaches.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 10, 2015

“Somewhere between North Carolina and the Great Dismal Swamp, I hope,” Liam said, his hand still on my back, now rubbing circles there.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken