bog down

IPA/bˈɒɡ dˈaʊn/
IPA/bˈɑːɡ dˈaʊn/

bog down — phrasal verb

  • bog downbase form
  • bogs down3rd person singular
  • bogging down-ing form
  • bogged downpast simple

1. to slow or stop someone or something from moving forward, usually because there

1.片語動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to slow or stop someone or something from moving forward, usually because there are too many small problems or details to deal with

例句

The new road project got bogged down in arguments about money.

passive: be bogged down in [problem]

Don't let yourself bog down in tiny details before you finish the first draft.

bog down in + noun for losing momentum

同義詞
  • stall

    stop suddenly; less about being trapped by small problems

  • hold up

    delay; more about a single cause than an accumulation

  • mire

    more formal; stresses being stuck in something messy

反義詞
  • speed up

    make faster, the opposite of being slowed

  • streamline

    remove the small problems that cause the slowdown

文法句型

be bogged down in something

bog down + in/with

用法筆記

Most often used in the passive ('be/get bogged down'), with the cause introduced by 'in', 'with', or 'over'. The thing slowed is usually a plan, project, or discussion rather than a physical object.

常見錯誤

The meeting bogged us in details.
The meeting bogged us down in details.
💡the particle 'down' cannot be dropped.
We were bogged on the budget.
We were bogged down on the budget.
💡use 'down' plus 'in/with/over', not a bare preposition.

2. to make a heavy vehicle sink into soft, wet ground so that it cannot move, or to

2.片語動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to make a heavy vehicle sink into soft, wet ground so that it cannot move, or to become stuck in this way

例句

Heavy rain bogged the tractor down in the muddy field for two days.

transitive: bog [vehicle] down in [mud]

Vikram's truck bogged down in soft sand near the riverbank.

同義詞
  • get stuck

    general; not limited to wet ground

  • mire

    more formal literary word for sinking in mud

反義詞
  • free

    pull the vehicle out of the mud

文法句型

be bogged down in [mud/snow]

bog down + in

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this literal sense always involves a real vehicle and physical wet ground (mud, sand, snow), while sense 1 is about plans or work being slowed by problems.

常見錯誤

My shoes bogged down in the mud.
My shoes got stuck in the mud.
💡'bog down' usually applies to heavy vehicles, not small objects.