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

That disorder cuts a wide swath through my family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

A lengthy decree lifted restrictions on a swath of sectors including petrol distribution, electricity generation, rubbish collection and the manufacture and sale of medicines.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

COVID-19 is on the upswing in California and across a swath of the West and the South, a sign that the virus may be starting its seasonal summer uptick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

SK Group began as a textile company in 1953 but quickly grew across a wide swath of industries to become one of South Korea's biggest conglomerates.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Suddenly the room was awash with a big swath of sunlight.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

The country's third-largest city was pummeled by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday, along with swaths of Colombia's coffee region and western coast.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

According to Airbnb research, when cities like New York enacted stricter hosting policies, swaths of the company’s home-rental footprint effectively disappeared in those areas.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

As Papas covered more and more of the city, he began growing an appreciation for various architecturally-significant neighborhoods as well as the many murals across large swaths of South and East L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Government officials have the power to make decisions that impact huge swaths of the American people,” Sherman said in a statement about the organization’s demand for an inspector general investigation.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Instead the heat scorched enormous swaths of the Intermountain West and even portions of the normally green Northwest.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• fodder
• grass