quagmire

noun

quag·mire | \ ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r

, ˈkwäg-

Definition of quagmire

1 : soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot

2 : a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about quagmire

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Examples of quagmire in a Sentence

A Girl of the Limberlost is a Cinderella story whose wicked stepmother, in an interesting twist, is the heroine's real mother. She is a crazy person, deranged by grief for a husband who was sucked into a quagmire before her eyes when she was pregnant with Elnora. — Janet Malcolm, New York Review of Books, 15 Jan. 2009 That was six months ago, when the Defense secretary laughingly dismissed the idea that Iraq was, or could turn into, a quagmire. But as Rumsfeld sat down last Friday morning to face Sen. John McCain, who spent six years in a Vietnamese prison, no one was laughing. — Michael Hirsh et al., Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2003 State involvement will create a vast bioethical quagmire. Even if everyone magically agrees that improving a child's memory is as valid as avoiding dyslexia, there will still be things taxpayers aren't ready to pay for—genes of unproven benefit, say, or alterations whose downsides may exceed the upside. — Robert Wright, Time, 11 Jan.1999 the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

Recent Examples on the Web

The deal comes as part of a wider understanding between Russia and Turkey on Syria, a geopolitical quagmire that has become a wedge between Ankara and Washington. — Umar Farooq, latimes.com, "Turkey receives missiles from Russia, rebukes from Congress," 13 July 2019 This delightfully satiric take on the Israeli-Palestinian quagmire revolves around a third-rate soap opera and a border checkpoint where creativity — and helpings of hummus -- trump ethnic conflict. — SFChronicle.com, "Capsule movie reviews for Aug. 18," 14 Aug. 2019 Plus, the ground near the shed will turn into a soggy, muddy quagmire after every rainstorm. Don’t tuck the shed deep into the woods where it’ll be completely surrounded by trees and ground cover. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How To Build Your Own Shed (in 7 Steps)," 29 July 2019 For my children’s sake, my favorites are the planks numbered 3.1 and 3.3, promoting a strong defense but also opposed to foreign entanglements such as the quagmires of Vietnam and Afghanistan. — Lincoln Chafee, BostonGlobe.com, "Lincoln Chafee: The party of peace: Why I joined the Libertarian Party," 19 July 2019 The structure of these treaties has also run into legal quagmires, especially in India, where the government couldn’t collect $2.2 billion from Vodafone’s acquisition of an Indian operating company through offshore firms including one in Mauritius. — Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa, "How an idyllic African island became a tax haven for some of the world’s biggest corporations," 23 July 2019 Seen through an economic lens, the Crown Prince's backing of Beijing amid his own PR quagmire -- even if China is indeed systematically abusing the human rights of Muslims in its own country -- is perhaps not completely surprising. — Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, "Muslim nations are defending China as it cracks down on Muslims, shattering any myths of Islamic solidarity," 17 July 2019 How did Trump square his campaign vow to pull out of the nuclear deal with his promise to avoid Mideast quagmires? — Greg Sargent, The Denver Post, "Sargent: Trump’s Iran reversal exposes one of his most dangerous lies," 21 June 2019 The legislative quagmire serves as a microcosm of America’s immigration debate. — Tom Benning, Dallas News, "Texans Cornyn, Cuellar can't get congressional colleagues to back their bipartisan immigration plan," 20 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quagmire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for quagmire

quagmire

noun

English Language Learners Definition of quagmire

: an area of soft, wet ground

: a situation that is hard to deal with or get out of : a situation that is full of problems

See the full definition for quagmire in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quagmire

noun

quag·mire | \ ˈkwag-ˌmīr

Kids Definition of quagmire

1 : soft spongy wet ground that shakes or gives way under the foot

2 : a difficult situation Repairing the old house became a costly quagmire.

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quagmire

Definition of quagmire

Synonyms for quagmire

Examples of quagmire in a Sentence

First Known Use of quagmire

English Language Learners Definition of quagmire

Kids Definition of quagmire

quagmire

Definition of quagmire

Synonyms for quagmire

Examples of quagmire in a Sentence

First Known Use of quagmire

English Language Learners Definition of quagmire

Kids Definition of quagmire

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