Swiss cheese

American  

noun

Swiss cheeses plural

1. a firm, pale-yellow cheese made originally in Switzerland, typically made from cow's milk and having many holes.

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Swiss cheese British  

noun

1. a hard white or pale yellow cheese with holes, such as Gruyère or Emmenthal

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Swiss cheeses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Swiss cheese

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

“The Dolphins’ roster resembles Swiss cheese and they need to leave the 2026 draft with four to five starters.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Gohl treated himself to a Jersey Mike’s sub, the No. 9 with turkey, roast beef and Swiss cheese, for around $12.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

"I think I said at one point it had more holes than Swiss cheese," she said.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025

The Swiss cheese stretched like taffy when you pulled a slider apart.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025

Aboard Freedom, not only could there be perfect mixing, but gas bubbles could be distributed evenly throughout, making a kind of Swiss cheese, or foam-metal alloy.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins