Showing results for "swimming"

• present participle of swim.

swimming

American  

[swim-ing] / ˈswɪm ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that swims.

2. the skill or technique of a person who swims.

3. the sport of swimming.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, characterized by, or capable of swimming.

2. used in or for swimming.

   swimming trunks.

3. immersed in or overflowing with water or some other liquid.

4. dizzy or giddy.

   a swimming head.

Other Word Forms

• swimmingness
  noun
• nonswimming
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of swimming

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English swimmende (adjective). See swim, -ing ², -ing ¹

Explanation

Swimming is an activity that involves moving through the water using your arms and legs. One of the best ways to cool off on a hot summer day is swimming in a cold lake or pool. Swimming is both a casual activity and a serious sport. To you, swimming may involve splashing through the waves or dog-paddling across a public pool. Olympic athletes, on the other hand, swim distances as far as 1500 meters at unbelievable speeds. As an adjective, swimming describes anything that swims or that's used for swimming, like a swimming hole. You can also poetically describe a crying person's eyes as "swimming with tears."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swimming

Examples of low-impact exercise include swimming and water aerobics.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Paralympic swimming trials was faster than the times she was putting up to be recruited for Division I schools.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

In Ansar standing next to the swampy swimming pool, building owner Mohammed Saab told AFP he waited every year to rent it out over the summer.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Some videos show groups of young men and women swimming happily in the sea - even though many have drowned making the trip in recent weeks.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Or… try swimming out to look for the settlement.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo