swath

American  

[swoth, swawth] / swɒθ, swɔθ /

noun

1. the space covered by the stroke of a scythe or the cut of a mowing machine.

2. the piece or strip so cut.

3. a line or ridge of grass, grain, or the like, cut and thrown together by a scythe or mowing machine.

4. a strip, belt, or long and relatively narrow extent of anything.

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idioms

1. cut a swath, to make a pretentious display; attract notice.

   The new doctor cut a swath in the small community.

swath British  

/ sweɪð, swɔːθ /

noun

1. the width of one sweep of a scythe or of the blade of a mowing machine

2. the strip cut by either of these in one course

3. the quantity of cut grass, hay, or similar crop left in one course of such mowing

4. a long narrow strip or belt

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swath More Idioms  

1. see cut a wide swath.

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Etymology

Origin of swath

before 900; Middle English; Old English swæth footprint; cognate with German Shwade

Example Sentences

A number of other technology companies have laid off swaths of workers in recent months, in many cases working to automate more tasks with AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

But new research suggests a large swath of Americans won’t be able to access the funding, putting their hopes of attending college or graduate school at risk.

From MarketWatch

The company also lost swaths of customers last year as Chief Executive Elon Musk’s reputation suffered.

From Los Angeles Times

The state reserve operates a live cam trained on one swath of land.

From Los Angeles Times

The ruling in the Los Angeles bellwether case could have significant ramifications for Meta and a swath of other internet platforms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fodder
• grass