welter

¹ American  

[wel-ter] / ˈwɛl tər /

verb (used without object)

1. to roll, toss, or heave, as waves or the sea.

2. to roll, writhe, or tumble about; wallow, as animals (often followed byabout ).

   pigs weltering about happily in the mud.

3. to lie bathed in or be drenched in something, especially blood.

4. to become deeply or extensively involved, associated, entangled, etc..

   to welter in setbacks, confusion, and despair.

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noun

1. a confused mass; a jumble or muddle.

   a welter of anxious faces.

2. a state of commotion, turmoil, or upheaval.

   the welter that followed the surprise attack.

   Synonyms:

   tumult, confusion

3. a rolling, tossing, or tumbling about, as or as if by the sea, waves, or wind.

   They found the shore through the mighty welter.

welter ² American  

[wel-ter] / ˈwɛl tər /

noun

1. Informal. a welterweight boxer or wrestler.

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adjective

1. (of a steeplechase or hurdle race) pertaining to, or noting a race in which the horses bear welterweights.

welter British  

/ ˈwɛltə /

verb

1. to roll about, writhe, or wallow

2. (esp of the sea) to surge, heave, or toss

3. to lie drenched in a liquid, esp blood

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noun

1. a rolling motion, as of the sea

2. a confused mass; jumble

Etymology

Origin of welter¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English welteren, welten “tumble, fall over; writhe,” Old English wiltan, weltan “roll”; cognate with Middle Dutch welteren, Low German weltern “to roll”

Origin of welter²

First recorded in 1785–95; of uncertain origin; perhaps from welt in the sense “to beat soundly” + -er ¹, or welter ¹ in the sense “a rolling or tossing about”

Explanation

Use the noun welter to describe an enormous, messy pile, like the jumble of papers, coffee mugs, pens, and food wrappers on the desk of the messiest person in the office. Welter can also be a verb — the items in the pile on the messy desk welter every time someone tries to pull something out. This means they roll and get tossed around. Maybe the person isn't as messy as you think. Possibly his projects keep him so weltered — meaning "deeply involved" — that he doesn't have the time or energy to deal with the mess.

Example Sentences

A welter of memoirs and biographies have traced their colorful lives as well as their relationships with one another and with their hot-tempered father, David.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

It never made any connection with the Spurs players, while a welter of tactical shifts hinted that he was struggling to work out how to get the best out of the shambles he had inherited.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Of the many double-edged gifts bestowed upon us by the streaming service gods, the welter of celebrity documentaries is perhaps the most remarkable.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

Among a welter of preliminary deals was an actual contract between Seoul’s state-run Korea National Oil Corp. and Saudi Arabia’s state-run energy giant Saudi Aramco.

From Washington Times • Oct. 26, 2023

He lay in a welter of fine dust that had drifted into this dark, secret space over the years.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• jumble