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

When they were interviewed decades later, many of those who had seen Bundists up close in their communities remembered the uniforms, the swastika armbands, the marching columns. —Arlene Stein, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a group of students formed a swastika with their bodies on the school's football field. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2025

In the weeks before October 7th, a swastika was drawn in a room on campus. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

As the duo laughed and praised each other, Trump himself avoided discussion of his potential $1 billion-plus lawsuit against the BBC and reports that the Coast Guard will no longer view swastika flags as hateful. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025

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"