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• swab
  swab

  noun

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

  abbreviation

  Swabia.

swab

¹ American  

[swob] / swɒb /

noun

• swabs
  plural

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)

• swabs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swabbed,
  past participle,  past
• swabbing
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• unswabbed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swabs
  plural

Participles

• swabbing
  present
• swabbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swab
  simple
• swabs
  simple
• have swabbed
  perfect
• has swabbed
  perfect
• am swabbing
  progressive
• are swabbing
  progressive
• is swabbing
  progressive
• have been swabbing
  perfect progressive
• has been swabbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• swabbed
  simple
• had swabbed
  perfect
• was swabbing
  progressive
• were swabbing
  progressive
• had been swabbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swab
  simple
• will have swabbed
  perfect
• will be swabbing
  progressive
• will have been swabbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of swab

First recorded in 1645–55; back formation from swabber

Explanation

If a pirate tells you to swab the deck, get out the mop! A swab is a piece of absorbent material on a stick, like a mop, but it can also be small, like a cotton swab used for cleaning ears. As a verb, to swab means to use a swab. So if you're a nurse assisting a surgeon, you might swab an incision, and if you're working on crime scene, you might swab the area for clues. On land, a swab is usually a small piece of cotton, but the original meaning of the noun was "mop used on a ship," and for a while it was also a popular derogatory term for a low-ranking sailor.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swab swabs swabbed swabbing

Oxford maintained that he was innocent but agreed to give police a cheek swab for a DNA test.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

The test could be performed using DNA collected from a blood sample or mouth swab.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

For $249, patients can order the test and mail in a swab, and after a few weeks they receive a GLP-1 “effectiveness score.”

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

Vials such as these are used by medical professionals to transport swab samples taken from patients to laboratories for analysis, in order to determine whether the patient is suffering from an infection.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

Heather showed me how to swab Clare’s bottom with baby wipes and how to tape a diaper.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Nonprofit SecureBio monitors wastewater and nasal swabs to deter biological attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Five were listed as "wrong site" procedures, two involved incorrect implants, two involved retained objects such as swabs left inside patients, and one involved medicine administered by the incorrect route.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

The detective later told Tamasi not to send any of the DNA swabs for testing, she said in her deposition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Dana next swabs Ilana’s mouth — the inside of her cheek and along the gum line — and her finger nails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

He took out all the bandages and swabs and put them in an old mug from the kitchen.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby

Tamasi swabbed for DNA samples in Spivey’s truck—door handles and such.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

Officials swabbed his cheek to obtain DNA, and then moved him to Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026

And though a forensics expert swabbed the interior of the yacht for explosives, there were no testing facilities on the island, said Allan Galbraith, the superintendent in charge of Operation Rainbow.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

The market was closed and teams swabbed locations including stalls, the inside of animal cages and equipment used to strip fur and feathers from slaughtered animals.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024

Root swabbed his eye with a cleansing solution.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Inside, women are dabbing moisturizers, sampling eye shadows and swabbing lipsticks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

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 ● Nov. 25, 2025

Iwasaki cautioned against the idea that people swabbing their noses with Neosporin will be a cure-all in the future.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2024

I told Conboy the thought of swabbing my cheek and waiting for the results, which might be alarming, could keep me awake at night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024

His crew appeared busy swabbing decks and picking oakum, but their gazes kept drifting toward the quarterdeck.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• daub
• mop