swathe
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to wrap, bind, or swaddle with bands of some material; wrap up closely or fully.
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to bandage.
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to enfold or envelop, as wrappings do.
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to wrap (cloth, rope, etc.) around something.
noun
noun
verb
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to bandage (a wound, limb, etc), esp completely
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to wrap a band, garment, etc, around, esp so as to cover completely; swaddle
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to envelop
noun
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a bandage or wrapping
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a variant spelling of swath
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swathe
before 1050; (noun) Middle English; Old English *swæth or *swath (in swathum dative plural); cf. swaddle; (v.) Middle English swathen, late Old English swathian, derivative of the noun; cognate with Old Norse svatha
Explanation
When you swathe yourself in a blanket, you are wrapping or swaddling yourself up in it. Swathe a baby up and you're creating a little cocoon where she can sleep. Sometimes spelled "swath," swathe is commonly used to talk about how you wrap up a baby in a soft blanket. The verb can also refer to binding a wound with bandages; as a noun, a swathe is a long strip or bandage to protect a wound. Swathe derives from an Old English word, swaþian, which means "to wrap."
Vocabulary lists containing swathe
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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:
ING joins a swathe of banks that have downsized as part of structural reorganizations, resulting in thousands of job cuts worldwide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
An amber weather warning has come into force in parts of the UK as Storm Austen brings a swathe of powerful winds and heavy rain on Friday.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
He gradually extended his authority over a swathe of the Balkans, making the Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid region, now mostly in North Macedonia, his powerbase.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
It ended with those same players applauding a large swathe of empty seats, some vacating as early as the 49th minute when Michael Kayode put The Bees 3-0 up.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Now a vast swathe of light twisted in a voiceless wind; then the swathe vanished, and shimmering pale-green waves rippled across the stars.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Schools were shuttered as smoke swathed the city in Nevada, near the California border, home to around 280,000 people.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Soprano Gabriella Reyes brought both menace and comedy to Catrina, tossing off her coloratura laughter and rocking her costume of silvery bones painted on black and swathed in tulle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
One features sunrise-pastel walls and an angelic ceiling mural, and another is swathed in bluish gray and gold marble print paper on the walls and ceiling.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025
Before them stood a silvery metal contraption swathed in colourful wires – a box that they hope will one day make oxygen on the moon.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025
His head spun; his arm, swathed in white linen, throbbed painfully.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Becky Hill, up for best dance act, opted for a black outfit which skimmed her upper half while swathing her legs in flowing material.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024
Masi speculates Comet Pons-Brooks’s horseshoe shape may result from shadows cast by the dusty “coma” swathing the object after the outburst.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 26, 2023
A later segment is dedicated to the art nouveau dancer Marie Louise Fuller and her efforts “to disappear inside the rigors and extravagance of her work” by swathing herself in otherworldly costumes.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2023
A cascade of blonde frames her face, flowing seamlessly into the airy tunics she wears, each a slightly grander version of those swathing her staff.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2021
Her cape hangs all the way to her feet, swathing her in gold-trimmed black.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
