wallow

1 of 2

verb

wal·​low ˈwä-(ˌ)lō 

wallowed; wallowing; wallows

intransitive verb

1

: to roll oneself about in a lazy, relaxed, or ungainly manner

hogs wallowing in the mud

2

: to billow forth : surge

3

: to devote oneself entirely

especially : to take unrestrained pleasure : delight

4

a

: to become abundantly supplied : luxuriate

a family that wallows in money

b

: to indulge oneself immoderately

wallowing in self-pity

5

: to become or remain helpless

allowed them to wallow in their ignorance

wallower

ˈwä-lə-wər 

noun

wallow

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act or instance of wallowing

2

a

: a muddy area or one filled with dust used by animals for wallowing

b

: a depression formed by or as if by the wallowing of animals

3

: a state of degradation or degeneracy

Examples of wallow in a Sentence

Verb

elephants wallowing in the river

Buffalo wallow in mud to keep away flies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Stories of rollover IRAs wallowing in cash for decades, and missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in compound interest, are the stuff of nightmares, some financial advisers said. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024

In short order, Hurley quickly lost the one person on the island who had embraced him unconditionally, leaving him alone to wallow in his self-loathing. —Rebecca Bodenheimer, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024

Noun

The driver-narrator brought us slowly towards a herd of buffalo relaxing in their dusty wallow. —Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

Queenie leans towards the tragic end of things, but never in a way that feels like a wallow. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English walwen "to turn oneself over and over, writhe about, roll oneself in a substance, indulge oneself unrestrainedly," going back to Old English wealwian "to roll (of a round object), to roll from side to side (of a person or animal), roll in a substance," going back to Germanic *walwōjan-, iterative derivative of a base *walw-, also in Gothic afwalwjan "to roll away (an object)," atwalwjan "to roll up to," going back to Indo-European *u̯ol-u̯-, ablaut derivative of a base *u̯el-u̯-, whence Latin volvō, volvere "to set in a circular course, cause to roll" (< *u̯eluu̯ō), Greek eilýō, eilýein "to wrap round, envelop," Armenian gelum "to twist, squeeze"

Note: The base *u̯el-u̯- is taken to be an extension of *u̯el- "roll"—see etymology and note at welter entry 1.

Noun

derivative of wallow entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wallow

1 of 2 verb

wal·​low ˈwäl-ō 

1

: to roll about in or as if in deep mud

elephants wallowing in the river

2

: to devote or indulge oneself entirely

3

: to become or remain helpless

allowed them to wallow in their ignorance

wallower

ˈwäl-ə-wər 

noun

wallow

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of wallowing

2

: a muddy or dust-filled area where animals wallow