Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

1mire

noun \ˈmī(-ə)r\

: thick and deep mud

Full Definition of MIRE

1
:  wet spongy earth (as of a bog or marsh)
2
:  heavy often deep mud or slush
3
:  a troublesome or intractable situation <found themselves in a mire of debt>
— miry \ˈmīr-ē\ adjective
See mire defined for English-language learners
See mire defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of MIRE

Middle English, from Old Norse mȳrr; akin to Old English mōs marsh — more at moss
First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MIRE

Synonyms
guck (or gook), mud, muck, ooze, slime, slop, sludge, slush

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

2mire

verb
miredmir·ing

Definition of MIRE

transitive verb
1
a :  to cause to stick fast in or as if in mire
b :  to hamper or hold back as if by mire :  entangle
2
:  to cover or soil with mire
intransitive verb
:  to stick or sink in mire

First Known Use of MIRE

15th century

Related to MIRE

Synonyms
befoul, begrime, bemire, besmirch, blacken, daub, distain [archaic], foul, gaum [dialect], grime, dirty, muck, muddy, smirch, smudge, soil, stain, sully
Antonyms
clean, cleanse

Rhymes with MIRE

briar, choir, fire, gyre, hire, ire, prior, sire, spire, squire, tier, tire, wire
MIRE Defined for Kids

1mire

noun \ˈmīr\

Definition of MIRE for Kids

:  heavy deep mud

2mire

verb
miredmir·ing

Definition of MIRE for Kids

:  to stick or cause to become stuck in or as if in heavy deep mud <A wagon was mired in the swamp.>
Medical Dictionary

mire

noun \ˈmī(ə)r\

Medical Definition of MIRE

:  any of the objects on the arm of an ophthalmometer that are used to measure astigmatism by the reflections they produce in the cornea when illuminated

Learn More About MIRE

Browse

4 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. mire
  2. mire crow
  3. mire-drum
  4. mire duck
Next Word in the Dictionary: mirepoixPrevious Word in the Dictionary: MirandizeAll Words Near: mire
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries