swim

verb \ ˈswim \

Definition of swim

swam play \ˈswam\; swum play \ˈswəm\; swimming

intransitive verb

1 a :to propel oneself in water by natural means (such as movements of the limbs, fins, or tail)

b :to play in the water (as at a beach or swimming pool)

2 :to move with a motion like that of swimming :glide

a cloud swam slowly across the moon

3 a :to float on a liquid :not sink

b :to surmount difficulties :not go under

sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish
—Daniel Webster

4 :to become immersed in or flooded with or as if with a liquid

potatoes swimming in gravy

5 :to have a floating or reeling appearance or sensation

transitive verb

1 a :to cross by propelling oneself through water

swim a stream

b :to execute in swimming

2 :to cause to swim or float

—

swimmer

noun

See swim defined for English-language learners

See swim defined for kids

Examples of swim in a Sentence

He's teaching the children to swim.
She swam across the pool.
He swam the English Channel.
The racers must swim the backstroke.
We watched the fish swimming in the river.
Ducks swam in the pond.
I felt weak and my head was swimming.
The room swam before my eyes.

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

The team saw a whale, believed to be the one that had been entangled, swimming away, the agency said.

— becky bohrer, The Seattle Times, "Whale gets entangled in Alaska cruise-ship anchor for half a day," 29 Aug. 2017
The chopper’s crew dropped a rescue swimmer, who swam to Bennett’s raft.

— by david goodhue, miamiherald, "His wife is missing, and now he’s in trouble over missing coins," 29 Aug. 2017
On Monday, prosecutors said the girl not only survived the attack, but swam to shore afterward to seek help, knocking on a stranger's door in the middle of the night.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Protesters Want a Statue Taken Down of a Doctor Who Surgically Experimented on Female Slaves," 29 Aug. 2017
This salmon recipe isn’t swimming in beurre blanc sauce.

— mary g. pepitone, kansascity, "Salmon dish is a delicious reminder of happy days in Paris," 22 Aug. 2017
Every year, hordes of sockeye salmon swim up from the ocean and fill the island’s streams in a spawning frenzy.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "How Climate Change Canceled the Grizzly Salmon Run," 21 Aug. 2017
Behold the Nile hippopotamus: Millions of years of replication produced a fat, moody water beast that can’t swim with a reputation, incongruous to its cartoon-y affect, as the most fearsome killer of humans.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Fiona and me: Love for a baby hippo, and for people, too.," 8 Aug. 2017
Sajaev, the former Naperville Central star who is set to swim at Penn, made the most of his final local meet.

— matt le cren, Naperville Sun, "Dynamic duo: Jared Simpson, Aayush Deshpande pace Tall Grass to title," 1 Aug. 2017
Or sample one of the giant rainbow lollipops and swim off your sugar high in the Beach Club’s adult lap pool.

— hallie levine sklar, Town & Country, "The Complete Guide to Sea Island, Georgia," 28 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'swim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of swim

Middle English swimmen, from Old English swimman; akin to Old High German swimman to swim

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

reel, spin, turn, whirl

Antonyms

settle, sink

Related Words

swirl

Near Antonyms

calm, collect; settle, steady

swim

noun

Definition of swim

1 :a smooth gliding motion

2 :an act or period of swimming

3 :a temporary dizziness or unconsciousness

4 a :an area frequented by fish

b :the main current of activity

in the swim

See swim defined for English-language learners

Examples of swim in a Sentence

the merest glimpse of blood sends him into a swim

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

Vaquitas are often killed in nets set for totoaba fish, whose swim bladders are prized in China.

— mark stevenson, The Seattle Times, "Activists blame Mexican government for near-loss of porpoise," 28 Aug. 2017
As outdoor pool season comes to a close for humans, our favorite four-legged friends get a chance for one last swim.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "With summer almost over, dogs welcome to swim at these Louisville pools," 28 Aug. 2017
Vaquitas are often killed in nets set for totoaba fish, whose swim bladders are prized in China.

— Washington Post, "Activists blame Mexican government for near-loss of porpoise," 28 Aug. 2017
Solid and Striped: Select resort-ready swim from Solid and Striped will be 30% off from August 30 to September 4—just use the code LDW30 at checkout.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "50+ Labor Day Sales That Are Definitely Worth Shopping This Year," 24 Aug. 2017
The party really needed to be somewhere other than the entrance to the swim club.

— jenice armstrong, Philly.com, "Was Sweet 16 splash party at swim club ruined because of racism or rowdiness?," 17 Aug. 2017
If your river is calm enough, going for a swim with a life vest is a good warm-up exercise, including getting wet from head to toe.

— peter reese, Popular Mechanics, "Five Things to Know Before Running a Wild River," 11 Aug. 2017
Participants were required to complete a 400-meter swim, followed by a 22K bike ride and then a 5K run.

— david sharos, Naperville Sun, "Naperville triathlon attracts people with a variety of goals," 6 Aug. 2017
Put away the swim trunks and beach towels. Reminisce about the good times had at Lollapalooza.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Disabato: First day of football practice prelude to intriguing story lines," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of swim

1599

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

blackout, insensibility, knockout, faint, swoon, syncope

Related Words

daze, stupor, trance; drowsiness, narcosis, sleep, somnolence

swim

adjective

Definition of swim

:of, relating to, or used in or for swimming

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

Swim Lessons: The Enfield Recreation Department offers a variety of swim lessons including preschool swim lessons, progressive swim lessons and adult swim lessons.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 22 Aug. 2017
Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Mattheus Santos, 16, of Lauderdale By The Sea, took first place in the distance swim and run swim run competitions.

— gary curreri, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Junior lifeguards honor teammate at skills competition with heavy hearts," 28 July 2017
Her hair still dripping from swim class, Alexandra Camarena scanned the piano before peeling away its dusty waterproof tarp.

— nereida moreno, chicagotribune.com, "Piano is an outdoor instrument at six Chicago parks," 21 July 2017
Marsh will be the head coach of the women's swim team.

— doug miller, charlotteobserver, "4 Charlotte swimmers to watch as world championships kick off Sunday," 21 July 2017
The 15,000-square-foot Pet Station facility features grooming services, long-term boarding, doggy daycare, training and even a swim team.

— tessa weinberg, The Courier-Journal, "A $60 luxury lounge - for your dog? Yup, you can do that in Louisville," 28 June 2017
The water temperature of the Hudson River, where the swim leg of the NYC Tri takes place, hovers in the 70s, so a wetsuit will be necessary for this race.

— bette marston, SI.com, "Taking on the triathlon: A first-timer's quest to complete the swim, bike, run," 27 June 2017
Swim lessons will be held at either the Angelo Lamagna Activity Center Pool or at the JFK Middle School Pool, depending on your class.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 27 June 2017
Top two in most events qualify for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where swim events are July 23-30.

— david woods, Indianapolis Star, "Katie Ledecky is better than ... well, better than everybody," 26 June 2017

First Known Use of swim

1924

SWIM Defined for English Language Learners

swim

verb

Definition of swim for English Language Learners

: to move through water by moving your arms and legs
: to move through or across (an area of water) by swimming
: to swim by using (a specified method)

swim

noun

Definition of swim for English Language Learners

: an act or period of swimming

SWIM Defined for Kids

swim

verb \ ˈswim \

Definition of swim for Students

swam \ˈswam\; swum \ˈswəm\; swimming

1 :to move through or in water by moving arms, legs, fins, or tail

2 :to cross by swimming

He swam the river.

3 :to float on or in or be covered with or as if with a liquid

The corn was swimming in butter.

4 :to be dizzy :move or seem to move in a dizzying way

My head swam in the hot room.

—

swimmer

noun

swim

noun

Definition of swim for Students

:an act or period of swimming

Learn More about swim

See words that rhyme with swim Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for swim Spanish Central: Translation of swim Nglish: Translation of swim for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of swim for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up swim? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

swim

Definition of swim

swimmer

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of swim in a Sentence

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

Origin and Etymology of swim

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

swim

Definition of swim

Examples of swim in a Sentence

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

First Known Use of swim

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

swim

Definition of swim

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

First Known Use of swim

Phrases Related to SWIM

Related Phrases

SWIM Defined for English Language Learners

swim

Definition of swim for English Language Learners

swim

Definition of swim for English Language Learners

SWIM Defined for Kids

swim

Definition of swim for Students

swimmer

swim

Definition of swim for Students

Learn More about swim

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066