bog down

verb

To become stuck (as if in a bog) and unable to progress.

“We've gotten bogged down in trifling details.”

Similar
mirehamperstymieboggrind to a haltget stuck
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Meanings

verbbog down (third-person singular simple present bogs down, present participle bogging down, simple past and past participle bogged down)

present singular third person bogs down · participle present bogging down · participle past bogged down · past bogged down

  1. intransitive"get"-passiveTo become stuck (as if in a bog) and unable to progress.

    We've gotten bogged down in trifling details.

    2 more examples

    The play bogs down in narrative as we watch Max and Rudy flee Berlin.

    1979 December 22, Andy Beck, “BENT: To Remind, To Instruct, To Warn”, in Gay Community News, volume 2, number 22, page 11

    DB wanted to start running in 2013, but couldn't get approval for the Velaro trains it wanted to run. It became bogged down in a process controlled by the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), which includes the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority.

    2025 April 16, Philip Haigh, “Competition hots up on the Channel Tunnel route”, in RAIL, number 1033, page 50
  2. transitiveTo cause to become stuck and unable to progress.

    Synonyms: mire, hamper, stymie

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo cause to become stuck and unable to progress.

Similar
mirehamperstymie

More synonyms by meaning

verbget stuck while doing something

Similar
bog
Broader
discontinuestopcease

verbcause to get stuck as if in a mire

Similar
miregrind to a haltget stuck
Broader
preventforestallforeclose

verbbe unable to move further

Similar
grind to a haltget stuckmire
Broader
stand still

verbcause to slow down or get stuck

Similar
bog
Broader
slowslow downslow up
Also see
anchorboggrind to a haltmirestymie

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan empantanar
  • empantanarto cause to become stuck
French s'enliser
  • s'enliserto become stuck
German feststecken, festsitzen
  • feststeckento become stuck
  • festsitzento become stuck
  • blockierento cause to become stuck
Italian impantanarsi, impaludarsi
  • impantanarsito become stuck
  • impaludarsito become stuck
  • arenarsito become stuck
Māori powharu, tapoko
  • powharuto become stuck
  • tapokoto become stuck
  • whakamārarito cause to become stuck
Norwegian kjøre seg fast
  • kjøre seg fastto become stuck
Polish utykać, utknąć
  • utykaćto become stuck
  • utknąćto become stuck
  • stawaćto become stuck
  • stanąćto become stuck
  • tkwićto become stuck
  • utkwićto become stuck
  • grzęznąćto become stuck
  • ugrzęznąćto become stuck
  • zaklinowywaćto cause to become stuck
  • zaklinowaćto cause to become stuck
  • blokowaćto cause to become stuck
  • zablokowaćto cause to become stuck
Portuguese atolar, empacar
  • atolarto become stuck
  • empacarto become stuck
Russian застревать, увязать
  • застревать (zastrevatʹ)to become stuck
  • увязать (uvjazatʹ)to become stuck
Spanish empantanarse, estancarse
  • empantanarseto become stuck
  • estancarseto become stuck
  • empantanarto cause to become stuck
  • estancarto cause to become stuck
Ukrainian загру́знути
  • загру́знути (zahrúznuty)to cause to become stuck
Cite this entry
APA

bog down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bog%20down

MLA

“bog down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bog%20down. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bog down,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bog%20down.

Source: bog down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.