swastika

American  

[swos-ti-kuh, swas-] / ˈswɒs tɪ kə, ˈswæs- /

noun

• swastikas
  plural

1. a figure used as a symbol or an ornament in the Old World and in America since prehistoric times, consisting of a cross with arms of equal length, each arm having a continuation at right angles.

2. this figure as the official emblem of the Nazi party and the Third Reich.

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swastika British  

/ ˈswɒstɪkə /

noun

1. a primitive religious symbol or ornament in the shape of a Greek cross, usually having the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction

2. this symbol with clockwise arms, officially adopted in 1935 as the emblem of Nazi Germany

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• swastikaed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swastikas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of swastika

1850–55; < Sanskrit svastika, equivalent to su- good, well (cognate with Greek eu- eu- ) + as- be ( see is) + -ti- abstract noun suffix + -ka secondary noun suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swastika swastikas

While browsing a map of Madrid from 1940, Mr. Cheshire spotted a stamp in the top-left corner identifying its provenance: a black swastika.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Rep. Dave Taylor responded to reports that a flag bearing a swastika was spotted in his office on Wednesday, calling it “vile and deeply inappropriate.”

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025

Once on the island they tear down a swastika and replace it with the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union.

From BBC ● May 7, 2025

For example, the swastika can be merely a benign ancient Hindu symbol.

From Slate ● May 28, 2024

After the revelation about the first swastika, I didn’t think I could ever be surprised again about Link.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Julie Menin, speaker of the New York City Council, wrote on social media that "multiple synagogues and private homes in Queens were vandalized overnight with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti."

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

Lunday said the reports of labeling swastikas and nooses as divisive were “categorically false.”

From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025

In the video, the family is seen taking a bucket of chalk to draw over the swastikas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2024

They seized books ready for distribution that included images of swastikas, iron crosses and other Nazi symbols, an Argentine Federal Police unit said in a statement.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 13, 2023

“If we give in and get depressed, then the swastikas win. This is how we fight back.”

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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