quagmire

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary

n. an area of soft, wet ground that sinks when you walk on it.

n. an area of soft, boggy land that yields underfoot; a marsh or bog.

“Heavy rains turned the valley floor into a dangerous quagmire.”

“The retreating army was forced to abandon its heavy artillery when the horses became stuck in the rain-soaked quagmire.”

C2 · Proficiency Formal

v. to trap someone or something in a very complicated situation.

v. to entangle or embroil a person or entity in a complex or difficult state.

“The lawsuit threatened to quagmire the entire project for years.”

“The legal team feared that the discovery process would quagmire the proceedings, delaying the final verdict indefinitely.”