- past tense form of swim.
swam
Americanverb
verb
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last July, a North Korean civilian tied plastic foam to his body for buoyancy and swam down the Korean Peninsula’s west coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Once, they swam in most streams of the Santa Monicas, but their numbers plummeted amid overfishing and coastal development.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
The young girl told Chiedza to hold on to the ball as a flotation aid and swam back to shore.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
A pair of humpback whales swam record-breaking journeys between the eastern shores of Australia and breeding grounds in Brazil, research published on Wednesday found.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
My lake friends came to the island every day at dusk and swam around till daybreak.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.