swish

American  

[swish] / swɪʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. 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.

2. to rustle, as silk.

3. to move or behave in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner.

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verb (used with object)

1. to flourish, whisk, etc., with a swishing movement or sound.

   to swish a cane.

2. to bring, take, cut, etc., with such a movement or sound.

   to swish off the tops of plants with a cane.

3. to flog or whip.

noun

1. a swishing movement or sound.

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

3. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an effeminate gay man.

adjective

1. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. swishy.

2. Chiefly British Informal. stylishly elegant; fashionable.

swish British  

/ swɪʃ /

verb

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

2. (intr) (esp of fabrics) to rustle

3. slang (tr) to whip; flog

4. to cut with a swishing blow

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noun

1. a hissing or rustling sound or movement

2. a rod for flogging or a blow from such a rod

3. slang an effeminate male homosexual

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

adjective

1. informal fashionable; smart

2. slang effeminate and homosexual

Other Word Forms

• swisher
  noun
• swishing
  adjective
• swishingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of swish

First recorded in 1750–60; imitative

Explanation

To swish is to make something rush or hiss as it moves, or to move this way yourself. A bike might swish past you on a wet sidewalk, and you might swish your long dress as you continue walking. A swish is the sound that's made when a person or thing swishes — the swish of a dish brush on a dirty pan in the sink, or the swish of water against a dock. A kite swishes through the air and so does a fencing epee or a fly swatter. In basketball, you swish when you make a clean basket, without the ball hitting the rim or the backboard. Swish is an example of onomatopoeia — when a word that sounds like its meaning.

Example Sentences

Also Swish Swish Hot Pot opens nearby, offering 15 different broths for you to dip your wagyu beef in.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2022

The books on the non-profit’s reading list include children’s classics such as “Where the Wild Things Are” as well as drag-themed books like “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”

From Washington Times • Jun. 16, 2022

Apple said that many other mobile payment options have “found success on iOS,” from PayPal to European alternatives such as MobilePay, Payconiq and Swish.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2022

Swish it around your mouth like a nice barolo.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2022

Swish went the windshield wipers, pushing the snow to the side, bunching the flakes up into knots and swirls of clear ice.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman