1
a
: to propel oneself in water by natural means (such as movements of the limbs, fins, or tail)
b
: to play in the water (as at a beach or swimming pool)
2
: to move with a motion like that of swimming : glide
a cloud swam slowly across the moon
3
a
: to float on a liquid : not sink
b
: to surmount difficulties : not go under
sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish—
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster4
: to become immersed in or flooded with or as if with a liquid
potatoes swimming in gravy
5
: to have a floating or reeling appearance or sensation
1
a
: to cross by propelling oneself through water
swim a stream
b
: to execute in swimming
2
: to cause to swim or float
1
: a smooth gliding motion
2
: an act or period of swimming
3
: a temporary dizziness or unconsciousness
4
a
: an area frequented by fish
b
: the main current of activity
in the swim
Synonyms
Examples of swim in a Sentence
Verb
He's teaching the children to swim.
She swam across the pool.
He swam the English Channel.
The racers must swim the backstroke.
We watched the fish swimming in the river.
Ducks swam in the pond.
I felt weak and my head was swimming.
The room swam before my eyes.
Noun
the merest glimpse of blood sends him into a swim
Recent Examples on the WebJen Christensen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The Seine, which winds through Paris, is not historically seen as an appealing place to swim.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Here hotel guests swim laps or sip sparkling rosé tucked into ice buckets while members work on a laptop or practice the old Hollywood tradition of the poolside meeting.
—Sunset Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the Poosh founder, 44, posted photos of herself swimming in the ocean while on vacation with her family in Turks and Caicos — and hilariously revived an old joke from Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the caption.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
As the corals regenerate, the reef becomes more habitable for fish, that swim through and make the frames part of their home.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Head to banks with nearby dropoffs and slowly swim a small white or chartreuse twister jig.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
When exploring some of the smaller islands, like Ios, Folegandros, and Milos, swim, snorkel, and wander the fortress-like capital of each island.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
In This Article Your Questions, Answered There’s a lot that goes into maintaining a pool or hot tub, but one of the most important aspects of creating a comfortable environment for swimming and relaxing is temperature.
—Staff Author Published, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2024
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Get your hands on these Bulldog swim shorts from Orlebar Brown that feature a 1957 Slim Aarons photo of cars parked outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
—Marques Harper, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Kids can even participate in swim sessions outdoors.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
The entrepreneurial family has also taken the opportunity to show off their swim style on Instagram.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
The aft swim platform has also been lengthened by roughly 2.3 feet.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Bring a picnic, blanket, swim goggles, and games to the beach, and set up a tent or canopy where everyone can camp throughout the day.
—Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
Visitors looking to take a swim can opt for saltwater beaches, like Sand Beach, or take a dip in the freshwater Echo Lake.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
Prairie View Road, offering a pool for swim lessons for children and adults.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Maverick Li, menshealth.com, 5 May 2023
Let this kimono top take you from beachside to a post-swim dinner in a breeze.
—Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, 28 Mar. 2023
This one at a home designed by April Powers is the perfect post-swim hang.
—Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 23 Feb. 2023
This, along with a bite of a homemade peanut butter protein bar, makes for an ideal pre-swim breakfast.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 23 Sep. 2022
And the majority of drownings – 69% – actually occur during non-swim times.
—Dr. Michael Daignault, USA TODAY, 14 July 2022
For a post-swim bite to eat, stop by the nearby tiki-themed Pool Burger.
—Anna Mazurek, Chron, 30 June 2022
Costume designer Dinah Collin won an Emmy for her work on the BBC series, which has since inspired a generation of Regency adaptations—not to mention the string of winks to the transformative post-swim moment.
—Emma Fraser, Town & Country, 10 Apr. 2022
But behind-the-scenes, Grandma’s cop-worthy post-swim lewk resulted from a practical request from the 85-year-old lead Tsai Chin, who is an accomplished — and very glamorous IRL — stage and screen legend on both sides of the pond and mainland China.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 2 Dec. 2020
Verb
The commission and Florida’s Bonefish and Tarpon Trust have recorded more than 200 incidents with more than 30 species swimming in this unusual way.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The Seine, which winds through Paris, is not historically seen as an appealing place to swim.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Here hotel guests swim laps or sip sparkling rosé tucked into ice buckets while members work on a laptop or practice the old Hollywood tradition of the poolside meeting.
—Sunset Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the Poosh founder, 44, posted photos of herself swimming in the ocean while on vacation with her family in Turks and Caicos — and hilariously revived an old joke from Keeping Up with the Kardashians in the caption.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
As the corals regenerate, the reef becomes more habitable for fish, that swim through and make the frames part of their home.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Head to banks with nearby dropoffs and slowly swim a small white or chartreuse twister jig.
—Don Wirth, Field & Stream, 4 Apr. 2024
When exploring some of the smaller islands, like Ios, Folegandros, and Milos, swim, snorkel, and wander the fortress-like capital of each island.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
In This Article Your Questions, Answered There’s a lot that goes into maintaining a pool or hot tub, but one of the most important aspects of creating a comfortable environment for swimming and relaxing is temperature.
—Staff Author Published, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
The study, published by Swim Outlet, the country's largest swim retailer, identified the worst and best water parks in the nation.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Get your hands on these Bulldog swim shorts from Orlebar Brown that feature a 1957 Slim Aarons photo of cars parked outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
—Marques Harper, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Kids can even participate in swim sessions outdoors.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
The entrepreneurial family has also taken the opportunity to show off their swim style on Instagram.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
The aft swim platform has also been lengthened by roughly 2.3 feet.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Bring a picnic, blanket, swim goggles, and games to the beach, and set up a tent or canopy where everyone can camp throughout the day.
—Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
Visitors looking to take a swim can opt for saltwater beaches, like Sand Beach, or take a dip in the freshwater Echo Lake.
—Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
Prairie View Road, offering a pool for swim lessons for children and adults.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
From fit, lining, waistband, fabric, and occasion, board shorts actually differ from swim trunks in many ways.
—Maverick Li, menshealth.com, 5 May 2023
Let this kimono top take you from beachside to a post-swim dinner in a breeze.
—Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, 28 Mar. 2023
This one at a home designed by April Powers is the perfect post-swim hang.
—Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 23 Feb. 2023
This, along with a bite of a homemade peanut butter protein bar, makes for an ideal pre-swim breakfast.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 23 Sep. 2022
And the majority of drownings – 69% – actually occur during non-swim times.
—Dr. Michael Daignault, USA TODAY, 14 July 2022
For a post-swim bite to eat, stop by the nearby tiki-themed Pool Burger.
—Anna Mazurek, Chron, 30 June 2022
Costume designer Dinah Collin won an Emmy for her work on the BBC series, which has since inspired a generation of Regency adaptations—not to mention the string of winks to the transformative post-swim moment.
—Emma Fraser, Town & Country, 10 Apr. 2022
But behind-the-scenes, Grandma’s cop-worthy post-swim lewk resulted from a practical request from the 85-year-old lead Tsai Chin, who is an accomplished — and very glamorous IRL — stage and screen legend on both sides of the pond and mainland China.
—Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, 2 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English swimmen, from Old English swimman; akin to Old High German swimman to swim
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Noun
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1924, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of swim was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing swim
Articles Related to swim
Dictionary Entries Near swim
Cite this Entry
“Swim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swim. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
swim
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or period of swimming
2
: the main current of activity
in the swim of things
More from Merriam-Webster on swim
Nglish: Translation of swim for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of swim for Arabic Speakers
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