swastika

noun

swas·​ti·​ka ˈswä-sti-kə 

also swä-ˈstē-

1

: a symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms extended at right angles all in the same rotary direction

2

: a swastika used as a symbol of anti-Semitism or of Nazism

Examples of swastika in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Anti-Defamation League, a swastika and other imagery found at the facility were connected to the 764 group. —Nick Lentz, CBS News, 6 June 2026

The two teenagers who walked into a San Diego mosque with assault rifles on Monday wore patches displaying the Black Sun—a neo-Nazi iteration of the swastika—and had scribbled white-supremacist symbols in white correction fluid on their guns. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026

Additional footage obtained by Fox News from Shmira Public Safety also shows a group of individuals near one of the homes that police say was targeted after the homeowner discovered a swastika painted on their garage the next morning. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026

Investigators alleged the 15-year-old boy drew the swastika, police said. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit svastika, from svasti well-being, from su- well + as- to be; akin to Sanskrit asti he is, Old English is; from its being regarded as a good luck symbol

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

swastika

noun

swas·​ti·​ka ˈswäs-ti-kə 

also swä-ˈstē-kə

: a symbol in the form of a cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles all in the same direction

Etymology

from a word in Sanskrit (the ancient language of India) svastika "a symbol in the form of a cross with bent arms," from svasti "well-being"