swish
Americanverb (used without object)
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swishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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swished,
past participle, past
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swishing
present participle
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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.
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to rustle, as silk.
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to move or behave in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner.
verb (used with object)
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swishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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swished,
past participle, past
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swishing
present participle
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to flourish, whisk, etc., with a swishing movement or sound.
to swish a cane.
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to bring, take, cut, etc., with such a movement or sound.
to swish off the tops of plants with a cane.
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to flog or whip.
noun
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swishes
plural
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a swishing movement or sound.
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a stock or rod for flogging or a stroke with this.
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an effeminate gay man.
adjective
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. swishy.
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Chiefly British Informal. stylishly elegant; fashionable.
verb
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to move with or make or cause to move with or make a whistling or hissing sound
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(intr) (esp of fabrics) to rustle
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slang (tr) to whip; flog
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to cut with a swishing blow
noun
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a hissing or rustling sound or movement
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a rod for flogging or a blow from such a rod
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slang an effeminate male homosexual
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a W African building material composed of mortar and mud or laterite, or more recently of cement and earth
adjective
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informal fashionable; smart
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slang effeminate and homosexual
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swishsimple
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swishessimple
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have swishedperfect
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has swishedperfect
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am swishingprogressive
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are swishingprogressive
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is swishingprogressive
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have been swishingperfect progressive
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has been swishingperfect progressive
Past
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swishedsimple
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had swishedperfect
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was swishingprogressive
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were swishingprogressive
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had been swishingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing swish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Gay's average in his six Tests is below 25 and his frustration at his second-innings dismissal against Pakistan came out with a swish of his bat towards the stumps.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
This would help swish money into public coffers through tax revenues, he said, "allowing us to provide tax relief on the one hand while finally making sensible investments on the other".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The swish of polyester skirts in spring pastels — lavender, mint, butter-yellow — as the women of the church organized the spread.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
A long-awaited swish finally quieted a restless Phoenix crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025
One guy hand-painted T-shirts with popular logos, like Puma and Nike with the swish.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
He generates his power as the bat swishes back through the line to make contact.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
In Game 2, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went 4 for 4 from beyond the arc, including back-to-back swishes that erased a deficit and put the Nuggets ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2023
Daunno does an expert disaffected indie head nod and foot bounce while he plays, and Shen is thoroughly convincing on the keys with her hair swishes and tentative backing vocals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
She swishes each variety a few times, separately, in a big stainless steel bowl, then dries them in a spinner she found at a yard sale.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2022
It hits the roof of a house, bounces off a tree, and swishes into a hoop.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
They swished each drink around their mouths several times before swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Gay swished his bat in the direction of the stumps in frustration and wasted a review, his immediate future in the team vulnerable.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The shot swished in, and it was No. 9 seed Iowa—not heavily favored No. 1 Florida—heading into the Sweet 16.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Javon Carter had tied it for the Magic with 1.1 seconds left in the second extra period before Green swished the game-winner.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
The huge tail swished and contemptuously flipped it aside.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Researchers also found that swishing with pure cranberry juice reduced acid production in dental plaque from both children and adults.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
Duckett looked horribly out of touch, swishing and swiping.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
At the start, he bounded up the left side of the floor, forced Ivica Zubac into the switch and stepped toward the Clippers’ bench before swishing a three-pointer that seemed like it scraped the scoreboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025
In the partially enclosed waiting area, parents stand on both sides of me, hoisting their kids onto their shoulders to watch the cars glide through the tracks of swishing cloth towers.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2024
The commotion only alerts more of them, and about a dozen wizards come bounding outta the cabins and the woods, swishing their wands.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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