swimming

[ swim-ing ]

/ ˈswɪm ɪŋ /

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

pertaining to, characterized by, or capable of swimming.

used in or for swimming: swimming trunks.

immersed in or overflowing with water or some other liquid.

dizzy or giddy: a swimming head.

Nearby words

swimmer, swimmer's ear, swimmer's itch, swimmeret, swimmers, swimming, swimming bath, swimming costume, swimming crab, swimming hole, swimming pool

Origin of swimming

before 1000; Middle English; Old English swimmende (adj.). See swim, -ing², -ing¹

Related forms

swim·ming·ness, nounnon·swim·ming, adjective

Definition for swimming (2 of 2)

swim

[ swim ]

/ swɪm /

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 forms

swim·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

Marvin takes off his T-shirt and dives into his swimming pool.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Obviously, Dominic West can carry on swimming as much as he likes.
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His swimming led him back to meet the woman he had gently smiled at in the first episode.
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the three, Ralph Goodwin, is said to have drowned while swimming at a beach outside Havana.
Cuba Protects America’s Most Wanted|Michael Daly|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Each room has its own swimming pool and sliding walls made of glass.
The Addictive Curse of ‘Let’s Plays’|Tom Sykes|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And just as I'd lamed myself in a lot of new places there would come the swimming lesson.
Torchy and Vee|Sewell Ford
The turtle that had taken the pin hook was swimming about with the string dragging after it.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Aunt Lu's City Home|Laura Lee Hope
At other times it was, "Peter, he is swimming across the river!"
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
You talk of a desert island, and swimming, and seaweed, Greg!
The Heart of Rachael|Kathleen Norris
The early colonists brought with them a limited knowledge of swimming, but they did not have the leisure to cultivate this skill.
Women's Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United States|Claudia B. Kidwell

British Dictionary definitions for swimming

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

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

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

swimming

noun

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of swimming

Related forms

Definition for swimming (2 of 2)

swim

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

verb (used with object), swam, swum, swim·ming.

noun

Origin of swim

Related forms

Examples from the Web for swimming

British Dictionary definitions for swimming

swim

verb swims, swimming, swam or swum

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for swim

Idioms and Phrases with swimming

swim