bog down

phrasal verb

bogged down; bogging down; bogs down

1

: to cause (something) to sink in wet ground

The mud bogged down the car.

The car got bogged down in the mud.

—often used figuratively

It's easy to get bogged down in details.

2

: to become stuck in wet ground

The car bogged down in the mud.

—often used figuratively

The story bogs down after the second chapter.

Examples of bog down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Don’t Expect Perfection Sometimes, the need for perfection bogs down the process. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2024

Perhaps most worrying, a normalization agreement would bog down the United States in the Middle East at a time when the White House should be prioritizing other global challenges, such as countering Beijing in the South China Sea. —Frederic Wehrey, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024

That confidence begins with a tight screenplay devoid of the exposition and explanations that so often bog down crime thrillers. —Scott Phillips, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

Trump has launched at least a dozen attempts to bog down what’s expected to be his first criminal trial of four — and the only one, so far, scheduled to take place before the November presidential election. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2024