swab
noun
a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
swab
1 American
[swob]
/ swɒb /
noun
-
swabs
plural
-
a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
-
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.
-
the material collected with a swab as a specimen for microscopic study.
-
a brush or wad of absorbent material for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
-
Slang. a sailor; swabby.
-
Slang. a clumsy fellow.
verb (used with object)
-
swabs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swabbed,
past participle, past
-
swabbing
present participle
-
to clean with or as if with a swab.
to swab the decks.
-
to take up or apply, as moisture, with or as if with a swab.
to swab soapy water from the decks.
-
to pass over a surface.
to swab a mop over the decks.
Swab.
2
American
abbreviation
-
Swabia.
-
Swabian.
swab
British
/ swɒb /
noun
-
med
-
a small piece of cotton, gauze, etc, for use in applying medication, cleansing a wound, or obtaining a specimen of a secretion, etc
-
the specimen so obtained
-
-
a mop for cleaning floors, decks, etc
-
a brush used to clean a firearm's bore
-
slang an uncouth or worthless fellow
verb
-
(tr) to clean or medicate with or as if with a swab
-
to take up with a swab
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
swabsimple
-
swabssimple
-
have swabbedperfect
-
has swabbedperfect
-
am swabbingprogressive
-
are swabbingprogressive
-
is swabbingprogressive
-
have been swabbingperfect progressive
-
has been swabbingperfect progressive
Past
-
swabbedsimple
-
had swabbedperfect
-
was swabbingprogressive
-
were swabbingprogressive
-
had been swabbingperfect progressive
Future
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.
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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.
See Examples For:
Oxford maintained that he was innocent but agreed to give police a cheek swab for a DNA test.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
"By taking a surface swab approach, we've been able to monitor a far larger number of bat boxes in a very short space of time," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 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
Johnson ran the swab through the barrel of his piece.
From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
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
This approach revealed genetic material from PRV in archived throat swabs.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026
When that happened, we would collect the blood, the dam nefesh, on cloth swabs that would be buried with the body.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
Last year, the U.S. introduced HPV testing, where samples are swabbed from the vaginal wall rather than scraped from the cervix, as a less invasive alternative to the pap smear.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
“We need to get to Hacienda Dorada as soon as possible,” I said when she pulled out an embroidered handkerchief and swabbed at Pita’s small face in a concerned, almost motherly manner.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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
This year, biologists collected samples from nine sites in California, swabbing the diminutive animals’ noses and forearms, said Katrina Smith, statewide coordinator for small mammal conservation for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024
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
The innkeeper is collecting empty cups and swabbing the tables.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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