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definitions

swimming

[swim-ing]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR swimming ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that swims.
the skill or technique of a person who swims.
the sport of swimming.

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

floating, natation, aquatics, vertigo, giddiness, dizziness, bathing, natant, natatorial, natatory

Nearby words

  1. swimmer,
  2. swimmer's ear,
  3. swimmer's itch,
  4. swimmeret,
  5. swimmers,
  6. swimming bath,
  7. swimming costume,
  8. swimming crab,
  9. swimming hole,
  10. swimming pool

Origin of swimming

before 1000; Middle English; Old English swimmende (adj.). See swim, -ing2, -ing1
Related formsswim·ming·ness, nounnon·swim·ming, adjective

swim

[swim]

verb (used without object), swam, swum, swim·ming.

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, swum, swim·ming.

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.

Origin of swim

before 900; Middle English swimmen, Old English swimman; cognate with Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen, Old Norse svimma
Related formsswim·ma·ble, adjectiveswim·mer, nounnon·swim·mer, nounout·swim, verb, out·swam, out·swum, out·swim·ming.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swimming

British Dictionary definitions for swimming

swim

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 Formsswimmable, 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
Word Origin and History for swimming
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with swimming

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.