swish

1 of 3

verb

swished; swishing; swishes

intransitive verb

: to move, pass, swing, or whirl with the sound of a swish

transitive verb

1
: to move, cut, or strike with a swish
the horse swished its tail
2
: to make (a basketball shot) so that the ball falls through the rim without touching it
swished a 3-point jumper
swisher noun
swishingly adverb

swish

2 of 3

noun

plural swishes
1
a
: a prolonged hissing sound (as of a whip cutting the air)
b
: a light sweeping or brushing sound
2
: a swishing movement
3
slang, usually disparaging + offensive : an effeminate gay man

swish

3 of 3

adjective

Examples of swish in a Sentence

Verb He watched as the windshield wipers swished back and forth. The horse's tail swished back and forth. The horse swished its tail back and forth. Noun the steady swish of the windshield wipers the mare brushed away the flies with a sweeping swish of her tail Adjective a trendy boutique filled with swish accessories for the urban fashionista
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Valor’s Peyton Jones just swished a long 3-pointer. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Stokes got a good look from behind the line and swished a 3-pointer to put O’Dowd back in front with just 25 seconds on the clock. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Christie swished home a 3-pointer with 40.6 seconds left in regulation to give the Gophers, who trailed by eight with less than five minutes to play, a 59-58 lead. Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024 To this end, the new generation of morticians (another neologism meant to conjure expertise) bought up shambling Victorian mansions in swish residential districts and invented a new form of comfort. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 When Duke trimmed the deficit to one point with 1:10 to play, Lowe swished a pull-up 3-pointer with Filipowski’s hand in his face. Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 In the 2010s, common concerns about wind turbines included health impacts from a swishing noise made by the blades. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Lunchtime at Benoit, a swish French bistro on West Fifty-fifth Street. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 For one glorious instant Sunday afternoon, the resurgent Bruins had conquered another demon, Dylan Andrews swishing a go-ahead jump shot with six seconds remaining, the bullies from Utah collapsing at his feet. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
After Kyle Korver of the Cavaliers missed an open 3-pointer, Durant spotted up from the top of the arc — swish — for a 114-113 lead. Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 8 June 2017 That goes especially for star Johnny Depp, whose Captain Jack Sparrow remains an unchanging and buffoonish blend of swash and swish. Robert W. Butler, kansascity.com, 24 May 2017 Swish swish sounds like it is written by 8 yr old kid or Donald Trump. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 May 2017 In a hurricane, those waves can come in quick, short bursts as powerful thunderstorms around the storm’s eye wall swish air up and down like a plunger in a toilet bowl. Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, 17 May 2017 The swish was almost inevitable from the area of the court that is his sweet spot. Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 8 May 2017 The icing on the cake was the little details that matter: the follow through, the curling down of fingers, the backspin, the holding of the follow through — and of course, the swish. Mirin Fader, Orange County Register, 1 Feb. 2017
Adjective
Co-produced by Spain’s RTVE and TV3 with Sweden’s SVT, Germany’s NDR and Finland’s YLE, the eight-part comedy is set in a swish upper middle-class community in the placid hills outside Barcelona. Liza Foreman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023 The swish dopp kits, which are filled with the latest skincare products and fragrances, will be provided exclusively to first- and business-class passengers on select routes and long-haul flights. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023 In it, a Spanish couple moves into a swish neighbourhood in the Barcelona hills to ensure the best upbringing for their children. Pablo Sandoval, Variety, 28 June 2023 The gradual process of building up this alternative Carole is shown from its start, when Cotillard comes in as herself, clad in swish designer clothes and an identity disguising baseball hat, to meet with Mona and take the part. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 May 2023 Also nearby is the swish new pavilion of the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club, a free-to-join organization that coordinates public and sports cycling events in the emirate and works with the government to develop the activity, encourage participation and direct investment. Barry Neild, CNN, 14 July 2022 Although Riley’s mother Janice (Mle Chester) is nowhere in sight for the first two thirds of the film, she’s given her daughter Riley access to a swish loft apartment and a credit card that never seems to get maxed out. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2023 Portrait Milano lies in the heart of Milan’s luxury fashion district and the five star hotel is appropriately swish. Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023 To clean greens, swish in cool water to remove dirt or silt, lift out, drain well and dry in clean towels or a salad spinner. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swish.' 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

imitative

Adjective

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1756, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1766, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swish was in 1756

Dictionary Entries Near swish

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

swish

1 of 2 verb
: to make, move, or strike with a soft rubbing, hissing, or splashing sound

swish

2 of 2 noun
1
: a hissing sound (as of a whip cutting the air) or a sound of soft surfaces rubbing against each other
2
: a swishing movement
swishy
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on swish

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