quagmire
noun
quag·mire
ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r 
ˈkwäg-
ˈkwäg-
plural quagmires
1
: soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot
2
: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament
Examples of quagmire in a Sentence
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
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
There is no single champion for the region, and there is no consensus on how to bring the area out of its quagmire.
—Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
Elon Musk Just Started Shutting Down This Government Agency Hours Before Employees Were Expected to Report to Work
The quagmire created by shuttering USAID will have profound, lasting global effects.
—Dawn Klavon, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Rather than getting dragged into other Asian quagmires, Washington would maintain stability as an offshore balancer, without deploying troops on the ground.
—Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The Twelfth Amendment would resolve the presidential election quagmire that ensnared the candidates in 1800.
—Karin Wulf / Made By History, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025
Elon Musk Just Started Shutting Down This Government Agency Hours Before Employees Were Expected to Report to Work
The quagmire created by shuttering USAID will have profound, lasting global effects.
—Dawn Klavon, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Rather than getting dragged into other Asian quagmires, Washington would maintain stability as an offshore balancer, without deploying troops on the ground.
—Bilahari Kausikan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
The Twelfth Amendment would resolve the presidential election quagmire that ensnared the candidates in 1800.
—Karin Wulf / Made By History, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Articles Related to quagmire
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quagmire. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quagmire
noun
quag·mire
ˈkwag-ˌmī(ə)r
ˈkwäg-
ˈkwäg-
1
: soft spongy wet ground that shakes or gives way under the foot
2
: a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share