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

Welter and his tour group marveled as the grizzly and wolves mingled for several minutes before they walked away together.

From National Geographic • Feb. 20, 2024

"When I became head of this institute, automatically we had way more applications from women," said Welter, who was appointed ten years ago and is now considered one of Germany's leading economists.

From Reuters • Mar. 8, 2023

Welter, a "state of confusion or turmoil," is unrelated.

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2021

Welter also challenged Uber’s portrayal of a shortage of drivers causing price hikes, saying “they have people knocking on their doors right now.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2021

Speculation on the Welter, as a rule, was not extensive, but on this occasion the bookmakers fielded liberally, and the odds against Sir Lester's horse were five to one.

From The Second String by Gould, Nat

Related Words

• jumble