wetland

[ wet-land ]

See synonyms for: wetland wetlands on Thesaurus.com

noun

Often wetlands. land that has a wet and spongy soil, as a marsh, swamp, or bog.

Origin of wetland

First recorded in 1770–80; wet + -land

Words Nearby wetland

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wetland in a sentence

Now dozens of its wild spawn roam the wetlands north of Bogota, the largest invasive species on the planet.
Invasion of the hippos: Colombia is running out of time to tackle Pablo Escobar’s wildest legacy | Sarah Kaplan | January 11, 2021 | Washington Post
The change also would spare the island’s wetlands, she said.
Biologists say a wider American Legion Bridge would destroy critical research site | Katherine Shaver | December 11, 2020 | Washington Post
The team found that species living in wetlands are doing well.
Around the world, birds are in crisis | Alison Pearce Stevens | December 3, 2020 | Science News For Students
Check out the Everglades National Park video series on wetland habitats.
Let’s learn about alligators and crocodiles | Bethany Brookshire | September 29, 2020 | Science News For Students
Some new wetlands haven’t worked as well as the wetlands they replaced.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them | Alison Pearce Stevens | September 17, 2020 | Science News For Students

The Canadian tar sand deposits exist under an area of forest and wetland the size of Florida.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero | Darren Aronofsky | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Other, greener options, like wetland restoration or oyster reefs, could also help slow waves before they reach the city.
Hurricane Sandy’s Lesson for Flood-Proofing a Subway | Josh Dzieza | November 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
wetland wildlife would get unhealthily wet, damaging unique ecosystems.
California Sinkin’: What Rising Sea Levels Will Mean for the Golden State | Alex Klein | June 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The area is a disturbed wetland, invaded by non-native melaleuca trees that have crowded out native flora and fauna.
How to Catch a Giant Python | Catharine Skipp | February 28, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for wetland

wetland

/ (ˈwɛtlənd) /

noun

(sometimes plural)
- an area of swampy or marshy land, esp considered as part of an ecological system
- (as modifier): wetland species

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for wetland

wetland

[ wĕt′lănd′ ]

A low-lying area of land that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife. Marshes, swamps, and bogs are examples of wetlands. See more at lacustrine marine palustrine riverine.

a closer look

Wetlands are areas such as swamps, bogs, and marshes where water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface, particularly in the root zone, at least a good portion of the year, including the growing season. In the past, wetlands were generally considered unproductive or undesirable lands-smelly and unhealthful, a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests-and many were filled in to create farmland or to develop land for housing and industrial use. More than half of the original wetlands in the continental United States have disappeared in the name of reclamation, disease prevention, and flood control. Scientists now realize that, far from being noxious barrens, wetlands play a key role in the ecosystem. They act as filters, removing pollutants, including metals, from waters. They serve as reservoirs, and they aid flood and erosion control by absorbing excess water. Wetlands are home to a great variety of plant and animal species, some endangered, that have evolved to live in the wetland's unique conditions. The preservation and, where possible, restoration of these vital habitats has become a primary goal of environmentalists around the world.

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