swim
to move in water by movements of the limbs, fins, tail, etc.
to float on the surface of water or some other liquid.
to move, rest, or be suspended in air as if swimming in water.
to move, glide, or go smoothly over a surface.
to be immersed or steeped in or overflowing or flooded with a liquid:eyes swimming with tears.
to be dizzy or giddy; seem to whirl: My head began to swim.
to move along in or cross (a body of water) by swimming: to swim a lake.
to perform (a particular stroke) in swimming: to swim a sidestroke.
to cause to swim or float, as on a stream.
to furnish with sufficient water to swim or float.
an act, instance, or period of swimming.
a motion as of swimming; a smooth, gliding movement.
Idioms about swim
in the swim, alert to or actively engaged in events; in the thick of things: Despite her age, she is still in the swim.
Origin of swim
1Other words from swim
- swim·ma·ble, adjective
- swimmer, noun
- non·swim·mer, noun
- outswim, verb, out·swam, out·swum, out·swim·ming.
Words Nearby swim
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use swim in a sentence
They have an IP68 rating, fit comfortably under a swim cap, and can be submerged in 2 meters of water for up to two hours at a time.
The best bone-conduction headphones for sound and safety | Tony Ware | August 23, 2021 | Popular-ScienceAlso, consider making the jump to a saltwater above-ground pool for a more natural, soothing swim.
The best above-ground pool: Have a splash in your backyard | Irena Collaku | August 12, 2021 | Popular-ScienceIt’s prime mountain biking and trail-running terrain, with quiet beaches for a lonely swim all along the way.
When you go for a swim in the ocean after applying sunscreen, or shower at the end of the day, some can wash off your body and end up in waterways.
Almost Every Doctor Recommends Sunscreen. So Why Don't We Know More About Its Safety? | Jamie Ducharme | August 2, 2021 | TimeSomehow she had to wash off the loss and reset for the mile-long swim to come.
Jones is a veteran of another beloved-yet-controversial animated series on Adult swim, The Boondocks.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical | Stereo Williams | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAdult swim airs ‘In Search of Miracle Man,’ its follow up to ‘Too Many Cooks,’ the deranged late-night comedy clip gone viral.
There Are More 'Too Many Cooks' Where That First Fever Dream Came From | Kevin Fallon | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe walked down to the beach anyway, in the rain, and went for a long swim.
Colm Toibin Describes The Creation Of His Quiet Masterpiece ‘Nora Webster’ | Jennie Yabroff | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer downfall came about, because for a second she forgot that to swim in the shark pool, you have to always act like a shark.
‘Housewife Tycoon’ Took On ‘Mad Men’ NYC Real Estate Market and Won | Vicky Ward | October 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMy father used to swim in these fountains, to cool off from the heat and to make my mother laugh.
But, do you know, I have a notion to go down to the beach and take a good wash and even a little swim, before dinner?
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinShe felt her sails flapping about her, but none the less was she determined to reach her goal if she had to get out and swim.
Ancestors | Gertrude Athertonswim to the edge of the moat and, clambering out, take to his legs was naturally the first impulse.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniHe abandoned his grip of the wall and began to swim gently toward the eastern angle.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniSo, when they saw the land quite near, what did they do but leap overboard, and swim towards it!
The Nursery, January 1873, Vol. XIII. | Various
British Dictionary definitions for swim
/ (swɪm) /
(intr) to move along in water, etc, by means of movements of the body or parts of the body, esp the arms and legs, or (in the case of fish) tail and fins
(tr) to cover (a distance or stretch of water) in this way
(tr) to compete in (a race) in this way
(intr) to be supported by and on a liquid; float
(tr) to use (a particular stroke) in swimming
(intr) to move smoothly, usually through air or over a surface
(intr) to reel or seem to reel: my head swam; the room swam around me
(intr; often foll by in or with) to be covered or flooded with water or other liquid
(intr often foll by in) to be liberally supplied (with): he's swimming in money
(tr) to cause to float or swim
(tr) to provide (something) with water deep enough to float in
swim against the tide or swim against the stream to resist prevailing opinion
swim with the tide or swim with the stream to conform to prevailing opinion
the act, an instance, or period of swimming
any graceful gliding motion
a condition of dizziness; swoon
a pool in a river good for fishing
in the swim informal fashionable or active in social or political activities
Origin of swim
1Derived forms of swim
- swimmable, adjective
- swimmer, noun
- swimming, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with swim
In addition to the idioms beginning with swim
- swim against the current
- swim with the tide
also see:
- in the swim
- sink or swim
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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