swim

[ swim ]

/ swɪm /

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See synonyms for: swim / swam / swimming on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), swam

[swam], /swæm/, swum

[swuhm], /swʌm/, swim·ming

[swim-ing]. /ˈswɪm ɪŋ/.

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.

verb (used with object), swam

[swam], /swæm/, swum

[swuhm], /swʌm/, swim·ming

[swim-ing]. /ˈswɪm ɪŋ/.

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.

noun

an act, instance, or period of swimming.

a motion as of swimming; a smooth, gliding movement.

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have

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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

First recorded before 900; Middle English swimmen, Old English swimman; cognate with Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen, Old Norse svimma

OTHER WORDS FROM swim

swim·ma·ble, adjectiveswimmer, nounnon·swim·mer, nounoutswim, verb, out·swam, out·swum, out·swim·ming.

Words nearby swim

swift moth, Swift's disease, swig, swiler, swill, swim, swim against the current, swim bladder, swimfeeder, swim fin, swimmeret

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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-Science
Also, 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-Science
It’s prime mountain biking and trail-running terrain, with quiet beaches for a lonely swim all along the way.
The 25 Best Fall Trips in the World|jversteegh|August 9, 2021|Outside Online
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|Time

Somehow she had to wash off the loss and reset for the mile-long swim to come.
Katie Ledecky’s Incredible Olympic Legacy|Alice Park/Tokyo|July 31, 2021|Time
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|DAILY BEAST
Adult 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|DAILY BEAST
He 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|DAILY BEAST
Her 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|DAILY BEAST
My father used to swim in these fountains, to cool off from the heat and to make my mother laugh.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Chopin
She 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 Atherton
Swim to the edge of the moat and, clambering out, take to his legs was naturally the first impulse.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
He abandoned his grip of the wall and began to swim gently toward the eastern angle.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
So, 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

swim

/ (swɪm) /

verb swims, swimming, swam or swum

(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 reelmy 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

noun

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

Derived forms of swim

swimmable, adjectiveswimmer, nounswimming, noun, adjective

Word Origin for swim

Old English swimman; related to Old Norse svima, German schwimmen, Gothic swumsl pond, Norwegian svamla to paddle

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

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

swim

Idioms about swim

Origin of swim

OTHER WORDS FROM swim

Words nearby swim

Words related to swim

How to use swim in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swim

Derived forms of swim

Word Origin for swim

Other Idioms and Phrases with swim