Mire — Defs

01 n. An ant.

02 n. Deep mud; wet, spongy earth.

1.
Deep mud; wet, spongy earth.
“He his rider from the lofty steed Would have cast down and trod in dirty mire.” — Spenser.

Phrases & compounds

Mire crow — the pewit, or laughing gull.

Mire drum — the European bittern.

03 v. t. To cause or permit to stick fast in mire; to plunge or fix in mud; as, to mire a horse or wagon.

imp. & p. p. Mired; p. pr. & vb. n. Miring

1.
To cause or permit to stick fast in mire; to plunge or fix in mud; as, to mire a horse or wagon.
2.
To stick or entangle; to involve in difficulties; -- often used in the passive or predicate form; as, we got mired in bureaucratic red tape and it took years longer than planned.
3.
To soil with mud or foul matter.
“Smirched thus and mired with infamy.” — Shak.

04 v. i. To stick in mire.