A swamp is a wetland where water covers the ground for most or all of the year, creating a muddy, soggy landscape thick with trees and plants. Unlike a pond with open water, swamps are crowded with vegetation: cypress trees draped in moss, tangled vines, dense undergrowth, and murky water barely visible beneath it all.

Swamps teem with life. Frogs croak from hidden perches, turtles sun themselves on logs, and birds nest in the trees. In southern swamps, alligators lurk in the dark water. Though swamps might seem unwelcoming, they serve vital purposes: they filter pollution from water, prevent flooding by absorbing excess rainfall, and provide homes for countless species.

As a verb, swamp can mean to overwhelm or cover completely. If your desk is swamped with homework assignments, tests, and permission slips, you're buried under too much stuff. When a restaurant gets swamped with customers, the staff can barely keep up with all the orders. A boat that takes on too much water and sinks has been swamped by waves.

Historically, people often viewed swamps as useless wastelands and drained them to create farmland. Today, we understand that swamps are valuable ecosystems worth protecting. The Florida Everglades, one of North America's most famous swamps, stretches across millions of acres and supports hundreds of unique plant and animal species.