swimmer

noun

swim·​mer ˈswi-mər How to pronounce swimmer (audio)
plural swimmers
: a person or animal that swims
a competitive swimmer
a fast/strong swimmer
… he liked to tell us that he had been a powerful swimmer in his youth, but I never saw him in actual water save once, and he then came out very promptly, shivering and upset.H. L. Mencken
a dog that is an excellent swimmer

Examples of swimmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The netted surroundings also protect swimmers from currents and jellyfish. Gemma Harris, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 Laura is a proud former resident of the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford comma. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Without his symphonic genius, some of the most indelible images in movie history — from E.T.’s flight across the moon to the ravenous shark zeroing in on an unsuspecting swimmer — would have lacked their singular power. Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Bening walks a fine line between narcissism and determination as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, with Foster playing her steadfast coach Bonnie Stoll, in this rousing true-life drama. USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 Fishermen reported a swimmer in distress around 3:40 a.m. near the South Point Cliffs area in Naalehu on Hawaii’s Big Island, the Big Island Fire Department told KHON2. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2024 Until recently, male artistic swimmers have been excluded from competing at the Olympics, though a rule change announced just over a year ago means that May, a 45-year-old veteran of the sport, can finally fulfill his lifelong ambition. Amanda Davies, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Last season, the future Cal swimmer took the Division 2 100 breast (1:02.53) for the third straight time and prevailed in the 100 fly (53.92) in a switch from the 200 IM. San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024 Pushing large slabs of floating ice out of their way, wild swimmers start their day by plunging naked into the Dnieper’s brutally cold water on an island in Kyiv’s hydropark. Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swimmer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swimmer was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swimmer

Cite this Entry

“Swimmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swimmer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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