swish

[ swish ]

/ swɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR swish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to move with or make a sibilant sound, as a slender rod cutting sharply through the air or as small waves washing on the shore.

to rustle, as silk.

to move or behave in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner.

verb (used with object)

to flourish, whisk, etc., with a swishing movement or sound: to swish a cane.

to bring, take, cut, etc., with such a movement or sound: to swish off the tops of plants with a cane.

to flog or whip.

noun

a swishing movement or sound.

a stock or rod for flogging or a stroke with this.

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an effeminate male homosexual.

adjective

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. swishy(def 2).

Chiefly British Informal. stylishly elegant; fashionable.

Nearby words

Origin of swish

First recorded in 1750–60; imitative

Related formsswish·er, nounswish·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swish

SB Nation and their Swish Appeal site do a pretty bang-up job, as well.
Women's Sports Are Getting Less Airtime|Evelyn Shoop|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Odds are, you expected Jackson to swish all three, but first freebie dribbled off the front of the rim and suddenly, hope renewed!
Was Aaron Harrison’s Game-Winning Three-Pointer ‘Clutch’?|Robert Silverman|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Kavala Graha, you use a smaller amount of oil, swish between the teeth, and gargle at the back of the throat.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess?|DailyBurn|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Caldecott says that if you swish oil for too long, you could accidentally breathe some into your lungs.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess?|DailyBurn|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Swish it, especially around the cheeks and upper palate, and pull it through your teeth.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess?|DailyBurn|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The door had opened; he heard the swish of skirts, and knew it could not be General Bartholomew.
The Imaginary Marriage|Henry St. John Cooper
They are just dotted Swish and we got it at a sale, so it didn't cost us much.
The Lilac Lady|Ruth Alberta Brown
Both boys expected to see it swish through the water the next moment and dash the life out of them, but it did not move.
Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XII, Jan. 3, 1891|Various
He heard a swish through the air and he looked away from his dead wife in the direction of the sound.
The Chalice Of Courage|Cyrus Townsend Brady
They arrived with a swish and sickening explosion and a thud.
Australia in Arms|Phillip F.E. Schuler

British Dictionary definitions for swish

swish

/ (swɪʃ) /

verb

to move with or make or cause to move with or make a whistling or hissing sound

(intr) (esp of fabrics) to rustle

(tr) slang, rare to whip; flog

(tr foll by off) to cut with a swishing blow

noun

a hissing or rustling sound or movement

a rod for flogging or a blow from such a rod

US slang an effeminate male homosexual

a W African building material composed of mortar and mud or laterite, or more recently of cement and earth

adjective

informal, mainly British fashionable; smart

US slang effeminate and homosexual

Derived Formsswisher, nounswishing, adjectiveswishingly, adverb

Word Origin for swish

C18: of imitative origin

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 swish (1 of 2)

swish

1756, probably imitative of the sound made by something brushing against or through something. Related: Swished; swishing.

Word Origin and History for swish (1 of 2)

swish

1820, from swish (v.); sense of "effeminate homosexual" is 1930s in homosexual slang, probably from notion of mincing motion.

swish

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of swish

Examples from the Web for swish

British Dictionary definitions for swish

swish

verb

noun

adjective

Word Origin for swish

Word Origin and History for swish (1 of 2)

swish

Word Origin and History for swish (1 of 2)

swish