Meanings
- sarcasticuncountablehuman sciencesA skeptical explanation that is provided in order to debunk a UFO sighting that a believer regards as ludicrous, illogical or disingenuous.
He explained away an especially peculiar sighting with another helping of good old swamp gas.
Synonyms: weather balloon, pelicanist
Synonyms & antonyms
nounHydrogen sulfide.
nounA skeptical explanation that is provided in order to debunk a UFO sighting that a believer regards as ludicrous, illogical or disingenuous.
Origin
* (hydrogen sulfide): So called because it is often emitted from wetlands such as swamps as a result of anaerobic bacteria, and is responsible for their foul “rotten egg” odor. * (ufology): An explanation given by then-skeptic J. Allen Hynek for an alleged UFO sighting in Michigan near Lake Huron in 1966.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
swamp gas. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swamp%20gas
“swamp gas.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swamp%20gas. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swamp gas,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swamp%20gas.
Source: swamp gas on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.