wallow
Americanverb (used without object)
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to roll about or lie in water, snow, mud, dust, or the like, as for refreshment.
Goats wallowed in the dust.
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to live self-indulgently; luxuriate; revel.
to wallow in luxury; to wallow in sentimentality.
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to flounder about; move along or proceed clumsily or with difficulty.
A gunboat wallowed toward port.
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to surge up or billow forth, as smoke or heat.
Waves of black smoke wallowed into the room.
noun
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an act or instance of wallowing.
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a place in which animals wallow.
hog wallow; an elephant wallow.
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the indentation produced by animals wallowing.
a series of wallows across the farmyard.
verb
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(esp of certain animals) to roll about in mud, water, etc, for pleasure
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to move about with difficulty
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to indulge oneself in possessions, emotion, etc
to wallow in self-pity
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(of smoke, waves, etc) to billow
noun
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the act or an instance of wallowing
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a muddy place or depression where animals wallow
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wallowsimple
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wallowssimple
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have wallowedperfect
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has wallowedperfect
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am wallowingprogressive
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are wallowingprogressive
-
is wallowingprogressive
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have been wallowingperfect progressive
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has been wallowingperfect progressive
Past
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wallowedsimple
-
had wallowedperfect
-
was wallowingprogressive
-
were wallowingprogressive
-
had been wallowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wallow
before 900; Middle English walwe, Old English wealwian to roll; cognate with Gothic walwjan; akin to Latin volvere
Explanation
To wallow is to roll about in something, as a pig wallows in mud or a billionaire wallows in money. Wallow can be used to describe a physical action or an emotional state. If you cry "Woe is me!" one too many times, you might be accused of wallowing in self-pity. Because of its association with the much-maligned pig, wallow often has a negative, insulting tone. So, rather than wallowing in that pile of money once you've won the lottery, try bathing or wading in it instead.
Vocabulary lists containing wallow
List 5
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Rap Lyrics
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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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.
I wonder if the reaction to the book is less about Burden’s marriage and more an excuse to wallow in our own perceived lack of agency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026
“But you can’t wallow in grief while you’re actively caregiving. I’d never get anything done. You soldier on.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
It's a return to the cheeky good humour he's known for - because, Sam being Sam, he'd rather count his blessings than wallow in his feelings.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025
“We don’t have to wallow in the misery that people expect us to be wallowing in. We can use those obstacles and stand on them. And I did.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2025
There was no time to wallow in what could have been.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
