mire
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to plunge and fix in mire; cause to stick fast in mire.
-
to involve; entangle.
-
to soil with mire; bespatter with mire.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a boggy or marshy area
-
mud, muck, or dirt
verb
-
to sink or cause to sink in a mire
-
(tr) to make dirty or muddy
-
(tr) to involve, esp in difficulties
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have miredperfect
-
has miredperfect 3rd person singular
-
am miringprogressive 1st person singular
-
are miringprogressive
-
has been miringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
miringparticiple
-
miressingular 3rd person
-
is miringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been miringperfect progressive
Past
-
had miredperfect
-
miredsimple
-
was miringprogressive singular
-
miredparticiple
-
were miringprogressive plural
-
had been miringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mire
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse mȳrr “bog”; cognate with Old English mēos moss
Explanation
A mire is mushy ground like quicksand, so if you feel yourself trapped in a sticky situation, consider yourself mired. One gets mired IN something — like in a dispute or in a love triangle. Mire still has its original, though less-used, sense of a slushy, muddy bit of land that gives way underfoot, also known as a quagmire. One of the most famous mires in literary history was the one haunted by the Hound of the Baskervilles in Conan Doyle's classic. Have the fibs you told your beloved come back to haunt you? You're stuck in a mire then, a treacherous situation it's going to be pretty hard to squirm out of.
Vocabulary lists containing mire
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mire was responsible for the resurrection of the boxing club when he returned to Somalia from Finland, where he had been living since fleeing the civil war in the early 1990s.
From BBC • May 16, 2023
Even Sherlock Holmes, that human apotheosis of logic, gets thoroughly spooked by the Great Grimpen Mire in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
From Washington Post • Dec. 2, 2022
A bidet is a better way to clean yourself, writes the TV writer and producer Muna Mire.
From New York Times • Oct. 10, 2022
“My friends’ parents went on vacation in the Cayman Islands and Armie Hammer was their concierge I’m still not over it,” Mire wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2022
And Stapleton escapes into the Grimpen Mire, which is part of the moor, and he dies because he is sucked into a bog.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
