mired
Americanadjective
-
trapped in mud, muck, or slime.
The concern now was how to free their mired fire engine and water tanker.
-
entangled or stuck.
Bond yields have been climbing, but they still remain mired at historically low levels.
-
soiled with mud, muck, or slime.
He looked down at his mired kaftan, speckled with dirt, and tried to brush it clean.
-
involved or entrapped in trouble or difficulty.
Only some of our colleagues have offended, it is true; but all of us are mired.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mired
Explanation
When you're mired in something, you're stuck or entangled in it. You can't get out. Sometimes, being mired means to be literally trapped in the mire, which is like a swamp or muck. But usually when people are mired, it's in something less icky but equally hard to get out of. You could be mired in six hours of homework. Congress could be mired in discussions that are going nowhere. A bad relationship could be mired in arguments. When you're mired, it feels like you're sinking in quicksand.
Vocabulary lists containing mired
Grendel
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Much Ado About Nothing
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The Road
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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.
It’s been mired with regulatory hurdles and other challenges for years.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Scams targeting those mired in the U.S. immigration system are not new, but advocates say predators have become more sophisticated, using technologies like artificial intelligence and targeted ads.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
Congress is at a standstill trying to pass key legislation, the military is mired in a conflict in the Middle East, and the president just faced his third assassination attempt in two years.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026
The proposed legislation also remains mired in some confusion, say experts.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
There had been some Rain & the Earth of the Road was soft & his Desk was somewhat mired as he leaned upon it.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
