swath

American  

[swoth, swawth] / swɒθ, swɔθ /

noun

• swaths
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• swaths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of swath

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

Explanation

A swath was originally the long narrow space created by a single swing of a scythe in a field of grass or corn as the cutter moved through it. Nowadays it is used more figuratively to mean any kind of path someone makes. The figurative use of swath has nonphysical senses as well, as in the term "a significant swath of the population believes..." Or if someone is trying to attract attention to themselves, or is making quite a public stir, they might be said to be "cutting a swath through the business world" or "cutting a swath on the dance floor." Hopefully, neither of the latter involves using scythes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swath swaths

Anta, Nike’s chief Chinese competitor, owns a swath of brands for the China market such as Fila and ski-brand Descente, and is offering consumers a range of stylish sporting looks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

New satellite images from Vantor Satellite Imagery show the shocking devastation along a roughly 10-mile swath of the Trishuli river stretching south from the northern border with China.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Chip Roy, R-Austin, who thanked Scott for the pause, and August Pfluger, R-San Angelo, whose district includes a large swath of West Texas.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Both companies have been dubbed "Russia's Amazon", due to their control over a huge swath of the fast-growing e-commerce sector.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

The sky is like a swath of indigo velvet.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Major carriers from large swaths of the state are now refusing to insure even low-risk properties with minimal danger of burning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

We got out at the northwestern edge of the lagoon, where there are swaths of land that have been churned up by heavy machinery, stretches of gravel, and remnants of fencing.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

This investing strategy is harder for the large swaths of low- and moderate-income workers who can’t afford to consider buying to begin with.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Consuming a few hundred acres, the fire in the Hürtgen Forest, western Germany, was a mere barbecue compared with the conflagrations that have recently threatened Mediterranean tourist spots and burned swaths of Canadian forest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Summer was unreal—whole swaths of the city became fashion shows, and the avenues were nothing but runways for the youth.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Related Words

• fodder
• grass