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

They went to work and standing water stressed a swath of trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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

A swath of other summer blockbusters would be released alongside them; A “Spider-Man” here, a “Mission: Impossible” there.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Disney was willing to submit the premature renewal applications, and a flood of more than 150,000 comments to the FCC, from a swath of cross-partisan advocates, demonstrated overwhelming public support for ABC.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

I could see the swath of Chas’s Mohawk pointing at me, and the whites of his eyes looking straight across at me, where I sat on the bunk bed.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

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

Bankers tend to give priority to institutional investors who are likely to hold on to the stock and can buy swaths.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 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

Empty swaths of Coliseum bleachers hadn’t been as much of a concern for Riley, who had never fallen below the 60,000-fan mark at home until Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

I’d prayed with people whose homes had been shredded by a tornado in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, huge swaths of the town turned to matchsticks in an instant.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• fodder
• grass