swamp / swämp/ • n. an area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects; a bog or marsh. ∎  used to emphasize the degree to which a piece of ground is waterlogged: the ceaseless deluge had turned the lawn into a swamp.• v. [tr.] overwhelm or flood with water: a huge wave swamped the canoes. ∎ fig. overwhelm with an excessive amount of something; inundate: feelings of guilt suddenly swamped her the country was swamped with goods from abroad. ∎  [intr.] (of a boat) become overwhelmed with water and sink.DERIVATIVES: swamp·y adj.

swamp Low-lying wetland area, found near large bodies of open water. Swamps are characterized by numerous plants and animals, including rushes and sedge in n regions, and species of trees, such as the swamp cypress, in warmer s areas. Swamps can prevent flooding by absorbing flood waters from rivers and coastal regions. See also Bog; marsh

swamp A wet area that is normally covered by water all year and is not subject to drying out during the summer. Compare fen and marsh.

swamp A wet area that is normally covered by water all year and is not subject to drying out during the summer. Compare FEN and MARSH.

swamp low-lying wet ground XVII; (local) depression in land XVIII. Identical in form with (dial.) swamp sunk (XIV), the notion of ‘depression, subsidence’ being perh. the connecting link.
Hence vb. (orig. pass.) XVII.