swish
Americanverb (used without object)
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swishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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swished,
past participle, past
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swishing
present participle
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to move with or make a sibilant sound, as a slender rod cutting sharply through the air or as small waves washing on the shore.
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to rustle, as silk.
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to move or behave in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner.
verb (used with object)
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swishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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swished,
past participle, past
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swishing
present participle
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to flourish, whisk, etc., with a swishing movement or sound.
to swish a cane.
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to bring, take, cut, etc., with such a movement or sound.
to swish off the tops of plants with a cane.
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to flog or whip.
noun
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swishes
plural
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a swishing movement or sound.
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a stock or rod for flogging or a stroke with this.
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an effeminate gay man.
adjective
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. swishy.
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Chiefly British Informal. stylishly elegant; fashionable.
verb
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to move with or make or cause to move with or make a whistling or hissing sound
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(intr) (esp of fabrics) to rustle
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slang (tr) to whip; flog
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to cut with a swishing blow
noun
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a hissing or rustling sound or movement
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a rod for flogging or a blow from such a rod
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slang an effeminate male homosexual
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a W African building material composed of mortar and mud or laterite, or more recently of cement and earth
adjective
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informal fashionable; smart
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slang effeminate and homosexual
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swishsimple
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swishessimple
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have swishedperfect
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has swishedperfect
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am swishingprogressive
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are swishingprogressive
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is swishingprogressive
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have been swishingperfect progressive
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has been swishingperfect progressive
Past
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swishedsimple
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had swishedperfect
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was swishingprogressive
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were swishingprogressive
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had been swishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swish
First recorded in 1750–60; imitative
Explanation
To swish is to make something rush or hiss as it moves, or to move this way yourself. A bike might swish past you on a wet sidewalk, and you might swish your long dress as you continue walking. A swish is the sound that's made when a person or thing swishes — the swish of a dish brush on a dirty pan in the sink, or the swish of water against a dock. A kite swishes through the air and so does a fencing epee or a fly swatter. In basketball, you swish when you make a clean basket, without the ball hitting the rim or the backboard. Swish is an example of onomatopoeia — when a word that sounds like its meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing swish
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.
See Examples For:
Gay's average in his six Tests is below 25 and his frustration at his second-innings dismissal against Pakistan came out with a swish of his bat towards the stumps.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
This would help swish money into public coffers through tax revenues, he said, "allowing us to provide tax relief on the one hand while finally making sensible investments on the other".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
As California’s water crisis worsened, recalling the constant swish of sprinklers throughout her childhood piqued her interest in native plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
Wembanyama, just 21 years old, can already do anything he likes on the basketball court: block shots, slam home dunks, swish jumpers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
He generates his power as the bat swishes back through the line to make contact.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Daunno does an expert disaffected indie head nod and foot bounce while he plays, and Shen is thoroughly convincing on the keys with her hair swishes and tentative backing vocals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
The nets singed with swishes, same as they ever had.
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2022
Saturday’s game was filled with a lot more clanks than swishes for Seattle U. But as basketball coaches often say, offense can come and go.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2022
The road is not particularly bumpy, but the shocks on the minivan leave something to be desired, so the pee swishes back and forth at the top of the bottle.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
They swished each drink around their mouths several times before swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Gay swished his bat in the direction of the stumps in frustration and wasted a review, his immediate future in the team vulnerable.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
But at the pivotal moment, Mullins rose up and swished the game-winner from 35 feet away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Javon Carter had tied it for the Magic with 1.1 seconds left in the second extra period before Green swished the game-winner.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
Harry swished his tail around him and said, “Yes, he knows.”
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Researchers also found that swishing with pure cranberry juice reduced acid production in dental plaque from both children and adults.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
In the coming days, the drizzly gray weather along the coast is not expected to change much, said Mehle, who drove to work in Monterey on Saturday with his windshield wipers swishing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2025
Hutton said: "A horse will move a fly off its backside by swishing its tail, it will react to the lightest of touches."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2024
In the partially enclosed waiting area, parents stand on both sides of me, hoisting their kids onto their shoulders to watch the cars glide through the tracks of swishing cloth towers.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2024
She’s saying something about washing my face and swishing some water around in my mouth, but her words sound muffled, like I’m inside a giant bubble.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
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