swab

¹ American  

[swob] / swɒb /

noun

1. a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.

2. a bit of sponge, cloth, cotton, or the like, sometimes fixed to a stick, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person or for applying medicaments, drying areas, etc.

3. the material collected with a swab as a specimen for microscopic study.

4. a brush or wad of absorbent material for cleaning the bore of a firearm.

5. Slang.  a sailor; swabby.

6. Slang.  a clumsy fellow.

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verb (used with object)

swabbed, swabbing

1. to clean with or as if with a swab.

   to swab the decks.

2. to take up or apply, as moisture, with or as if with a swab.

   to swab soapy water from the decks.

3. to pass over a surface.

   to swab a mop over the decks.

Swab. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Swabia.

2. Swabian.

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swab British  

/ swɒb /

noun

1. med

   1. a small piece of cotton, gauze, etc, for use in applying medication, cleansing a wound, or obtaining a specimen of a secretion, etc

   2. the specimen so obtained

2. a mop for cleaning floors, decks, etc

3. a brush used to clean a firearm's bore

4. slang  an uncouth or worthless fellow

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verb

1. (tr) to clean or medicate with or as if with a swab

2. to take up with a swab

Other Word Forms

• unswabbed adjective

Etymology

Origin of swab

First recorded in 1645–55; back formation from swabber

Example Sentences

But immediately after the crash, investigators carried out the meticulous process of swabbing the interior of the VW Polo for any forensic samples that could link the driver to that seat.

From BBC

Forensic teams swabbed the glass-strewn gallery as well as the equipment the thieves left behind.

From The Wall Street Journal

A second stage of the analysis has already taken saliva swabs from women to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

From BBC

They wouldn't have had my statement from the time, they wouldn't have had photographs, and they wouldn't have had all the swabs and things that they took.

From BBC

Potential donors send off a cheek swab sample and wait to see if they are a match for anyone.

From BBC

Related Words

• daub
• mop