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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | TimeThis 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-ScienceIf 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 LandLyman, 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 | THE DAILY BEASTFifty-two hours and 54 minutes after leaping from a rock wall in Havana, the 64-year-old marathon swimmer reached Key West.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTDating 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 | THE DAILY BEASTYou may not be able to sleep with Ryan Lochte, the Olympic swimmer and ubiquitous grinning presence at New York Fashion Week.
His strong legs and his broad, spade-like feet helped to make him a fine swimmer.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyShe 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 ChopinEach 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 SmithHe 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. FarrarRussell, who was an expert swimmer, volunteered to dive for some conchs and shell-fish; oysters there were none.
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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