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.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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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.

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

How to use swim in a sentence

For instance, water safety advocates say that declined enrollment in swim programs coupled with a surge in demand for private pools could lead to more drownings.
Fewer Children Died in 2020, Despite the Pandemic. Experts Are Trying to Figure Out Why|Emily Barone|January 14, 2021|Time
This way, your headphones will remain in place while you work out or go for a swim.
Best headphones: Get good-quality audio equipment at your budget|PopSci Commerce Team|December 17, 2020|Popular-Science
If we think about our demand channels as swim lanes — with each different specialist area in its own lane — it seems like sometimes our teams are in a race against each other.
Building connections between siloed channels, technologies and teams|Sponsored Content: Integrate|November 11, 2020|Search Engine Land
Lyman, a competitive swimmer, is coming to the end of his final year at high school.
Brits Celebrate Phin Lyman, The Boy Virgin Who Says He’ll Wait for Love|Nico Hines|May 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Fifty-two hours and 54 minutes after leaping from a rock wall in Havana, the 64-year-old marathon swimmer reached Key West.
The Most Extreme Explorers of 2013|Nina Strochlic|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ryan Lochte Dabbles in Fashion Design: The swimmer and 11-time Olympic medalist's fashion design career is gaining steam.
Kristen Stewart Named Face of Chanel; Ryan Lochte Dabbles in Fashion Design|The Fashion Beast Team|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Dating habits, swimming routine, and more things we learned about the world's fastest swimmer from his E!
Ryan Lochte: Sex, Swimming & More Crazy Things From Reality TV Trailer|Anna Klassen|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You may not be able to sleep with Ryan Lochte, the Olympic swimmer and ubiquitous grinning presence at New York Fashion Week.
Building Brand Lochte|Rebecca Dana|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
His strong legs and his broad, spade-like feet helped to make him a fine swimmer.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
She had not gone any great distance—that is, what would have been a great distance for an experienced swimmer.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Each of the boys was a good swimmer, and soon they were all clinging to the canoe, which had completely overturned.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
He was a strong and expert swimmer, and as yet the channel was not more than a dozen yards across.
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar
Russell, who was an expert swimmer, volunteered to dive for some conchs and shell-fish; oysters there were none.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|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 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