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
Comfy Cozy Lingo
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Beowulf
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The Sea of Monsters
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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:
Magyar's government has moved to turn the page on the Orban era, passing a swathe of anti-corruption measures and changing the constitution to effectively bar Orban from running again.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Revenue fell 4.9% on year, but the group hopes a swathe of new auto models can help it boost sluggish sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Although a ceasefire was in place, movement in the area required coordination through a U.S.-French “mechanism” that would stay the fire of Israeli troops currently occupying a swathe of south Lebanon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026
Tens of thousands of people have left Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city and a broad swathe of the south.
From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026
The sea, visible ahead of her in a gray swathe only a few shades darker than the sky, moved in giant, undulating swells.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
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
At one table in front of him sat former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, swathed in a madder-red three-quarter-length coat and sandwiched between her counsel.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 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
Almost wholly unexcavated since its discovery, the Calakmul we came to lay swathed in dry, scrubby vegetation that crawled like a swarm of thorns up its two huge pyramids.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
Sleep enveloped him like the swathing mirages that were wrestling with the brilliance of the lagoon.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
