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

Mousa is charged with two counts of felony vandalism with hate crime enhancements, two counts of felony vandalism of a place of worship with hate crime enhancements, felony placement of a swastika and one misdemeanor vandalism count. —Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026

The swastika came to represent Germany’s genocidal right-wing fascist movement under Adolf Hitler in the 1930s and ’40s. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026

Then in January 2023, someone used a projector to put a large image of a Nazi swastika on the side of the CSX headquarters building on the Northbank Riverwalk. —Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 24 Feb. 2026

And in a third incident in western Connecticut, Sobel said a 15-year old found a swastika etched into his locker. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 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"