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• marsh
  marsh

  noun

  a tract of low wet land, often treeless and periodically inundated, generally characterized by a growth of grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes.
• Marsh
  Marsh

  noun

  Dame (Edith) Ngaio 1899–1982, New Zealand writer of detective novels.

marsh

¹ American  

[mahrsh] / mɑrʃ /

noun

• marshes
  plural

1. a tract of low wet land, often treeless and periodically inundated, generally characterized by a growth of grasses, sedges, cattails, and rushes.

   Synonyms:

   wetland, marshland, fen, bog, swamp

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Marsh ² American  

[mahrsh] / mɑrʃ /

noun

1. Dame (Edith) Ngaio 1899–1982, New Zealand writer of detective novels.

2. Reginald, 1898–1954, U.S. painter and illustrator.

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marsh ¹ British  

/ mɑːʃ /

noun

1. low poorly drained land that is sometimes flooded and often lies at the edge of lakes, streams, etc Compare swamp

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Marsh ² British  

/ mɑːʃ /

noun

1. Dame ( Edith ) Ngaio (ˈnaɪəʊ). 1899–1981, New Zealand crime writer, living in Britain (from 1928). Her many detective novels include Final Curtain (1947) and Last Ditch (1977)

2. Rodney ( William ). born 1947, Australian cricketer: a wicketkeeper, he took 355 dismissals in 96 test matches (1970–84)

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marsh Scientific  

/ märsh /

1. An area of low-lying wetland in which the level of water is generally shallow and often fluctuating. The water may be either standing or slow-moving. The water in a marsh is also more or less neutral or alkaline, in contrast to the water in a bog, which is acidic. The environment of a marsh is in general well-oxygenated and nutrient-rich and allows a great variety of organisms to flourish. In contrast to a swamp, in which there is an abundance of woody plants, the plants in a marsh are mostly herbaceous. Reeds and rushes dominate the vegetation of marshes.

2. See also salt marsh

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marshlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marshes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of marsh

before 900; Middle English mershe, Old English mer ( i ) sc (cognate with German Marsch ). See mere ², -ish ¹; cf. marais, marish, morass

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Explanation

A marsh is an area in transition from land to water. It is a very bad idea to go walking in a marsh in your best shoes; try some fishing boots, or perhaps a boat. The word marsh comes from the old Dutch word mere, for sea, and it means land that is sea-ish… not sea, but sea-ish, like most of Holland. Marshes can be found often where a river empties into the sea, or along the side of a low, flooded river. Another word for marsh is swamp. If you’re in trouble or just want to be alone, a marsh is a great place to hide: no one will follow you. Just don’t forget your galoshes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marsh Marsh marshes

The dinosaur ended up in a salty marsh, where conditions slowed decomposition and helped preserve the fragile network of blood vessels.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

An area of wet woodland and marsh has been acquired alongside pastureland south of the River Sow.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“There’s over 300 species of birds that have been seen in the marsh over the years.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The number and variety of plants increased over time, including locally rare species such as southern marsh orchid, greater tussock-sedge, yellow rattle and common centaury.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

I laugh-yell, making mama swan dart farther into the safety of the marsh.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

“There’s too little capacity in every aspect of the risk that is being created by the AI capital boom,” said Nick Studer, chief executive of Marsh Risk, the insurance brokerage arm of professional-services firm Marsh.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Remembering to treat each person with kindness in those circumstances can be a challenge, said Dr Adrian Marsh, an emergency medicine consultant at the Princess Royal Hospital.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

For several days after the arrest, police were seen searching Mountbatten-Windsor's property at Marsh Farm in Sandringham and at his former home, Royal Lodge, on the Windsor estate.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

John Doyle has spent his career considering risk, so the Journal’s Chip Cutter wanted to know how the CEO of Marsh views today’s environment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

When Montez was there and he did say her name like the song she knew it to be, she didn’t really care what Miss Henrietta Von Marsh called her.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Evidence from the fossil deposits indicates that some of these snakes inhabited tidal environments, while others occupied swamps and marshes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Saltwater is beginning to contaminate farmland reclaimed over the past five centuries from the delta marshes.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

A new exhibition has now opened in Porlock museum outlining the 30-year process to create the marshes.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

Today, they’re mostly found roaming marshes of the Central Valley, particularly around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

In fact, you are to take a thousand down to the marshes of Kelfazin and leave them there.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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