welter

¹ American  

[wel-ter] / ˈwɛl tər /

verb (used without object)

welters, present (3rd person singular) weltered, past participle, past weltering present participle

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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• weltering
  present
• weltered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• welter
  simple
• welters
  simple
• have weltered
  perfect
• has weltered
  perfect
• am weltering
  progressive
• are weltering
  progressive
• is weltering
  progressive
• have been weltering
  perfect progressive
• has been weltering
  perfect progressive

Past

• weltered
  simple
• had weltered
  perfect
• was weltering
  progressive
• were weltering
  progressive
• had been weltering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will welter
  simple
• will have weltered
  perfect
• will be weltering
  progressive
• will have been weltering
  perfect progressive

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

The departure of Jens Welter in September dealt it another blow as he quit less than nine months after being named co-head of global banking.

From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2022

Welter once worked for Kinzinger’s campaign and received $32,500 in contributions since 2021 from committees associated with Kinzinger.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2022

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

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2021

As a two-year old, he was placed second at eight stone to Candlestick in the Warmington Open Welter Handicap.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, May 3, 1890. by Various

Related Words

• jumble