\ ˈswim
\
\
swam\
ˈswam
\; swum\
ˈswəm
\; swimming
\; swum\
ˈswəm
\; swimming
Definition of swim
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: 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
3a
: 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
1a
: to cross by propelling oneself through water
swim a stream
b
: to execute in swimming
2
: to cause to swim or float
swim
nounDefinition of swim (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: a smooth gliding motion
2
: an act or period of swimming
3
: a temporary dizziness or unconsciousness
4a
: an area frequented by fish
b
: the main current of activity
in the swim
swim
adjectiveDefinition of swim (Entry 3 of 3)
: of, relating to, or used in or for swimming
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Examples of swim in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun
the merest glimpse of blood sends him into a swim
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Bees cannot swim and the rocks provide a place to rest while accessing the water.
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Jodi Bay, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Garden Mastery: Plant for the pollinators, which keep our world buzzing with life," 13 Mar. 2021
The man, later identified as Orville Lyons, was wearing a life jacket but couldn’t swim.
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Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, "Florida Fishing Captain Rescues Man Stranded at Sea for 36 Hours," 24 Feb. 2021
Meantime, civilians and critics, date-night viewers and arts journalists alike swim against the tide of endless streaming options.
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Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago’s tallest movie screen is likely gone for good. Here’s what’s left (plenty, actually) for filmgoers who’d rather go big than stay home," 12 Apr. 2021
Off Rangiroa Atoll, in the Tuamotu Islands, scuba divers and dolphins can swim together in the Tiputa Pass.
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Johanna Read, Forbes, "The Islands Of Tahiti Are Reopening On May 1, 2021," 9 Apr. 2021
Qualifiers in wave 2 in any event may swim in wave 2 in all events.
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David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, "Lilly King joined in swim world rankings by Fishers soph JoJo Ramey," 30 Mar. 2021
The dolphins usually swim in pods of 100 and take great care to stay far away from coastlines, leading researchers to believe this duo may have gotten lost while searching for food.
—
Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, "Striped Dolphins Swim Through Venice's Grand Canal — See the Video," 24 Mar. 2021
Green sea turtles, Antarctic fur seals, tiger sharks, humpback whales and various other marine animals occasionally swim in perplexing circles.
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Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, "Researchers Are Investigating Why Marine Animals Swim in Perplexing Circles," 22 Mar. 2021
His ex-wife, Rabab Diab, could not swim but survived when a nearby fisherman threw her a life preserver.
—
Amir Vera And Christina Carrega, CNN, "California man sentenced for drowning his two sons in 'diabolical' insurance scheme, prosecutors say," 11 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In 2018, her synchronized swim team won top honors at the Gay Games in Paris.
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Rohan Preston, Star Tribune, "Pillsbury House Theatre taps longtime member Signe Harriday as new leader," 27 Apr. 2021
Clark decided to join the swim team to improve his speed for water polo.
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Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Three-sport athletes are common. Perhaps you’ve heard about a kid in four sports this school year. Libertyville’s Andrew Clark outdoes them all.," 12 Apr. 2021
December, 2020: Chase coaches Indian Creek's swim team for the season with his dad.
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Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, "Chase and Sadie's incredible journey of love amid cancer," 4 Apr. 2021
In high school, some girls on my swim team said I was born in a rice basket.
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BostonGlobe.com, "For young Asian Americans like me, the rise in hate crimes reinforces a lifetime of racial trauma," 30 Mar. 2021
All of the Tigers who competed were on the swim team.
—
Giana Han, al, "Weekly Auburn roundup: Excellence continues on the track," 22 Mar. 2021
The Pennsylvania Ballet and Drexel University swim team were among her clients.
—
Washington Post, "Coronavirus: What you need to read," 6 Mar. 2021
Dog day: North Olmsted residents are invited to bring their dogs to enjoy a day in the North Olmsted Recreation Center pool as the outdoor swim season ends.
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Carol Kovach, cleveland, "It’s official -- No Taste of Lakewood this year: A Place in the Sun," 15 Sep. 2020
In previous years, the tail end of the summer swim season has also brought beach closures as a result of blue-green algae blooms.
—
From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Infected minks, airport layoffs, crawfish farmers: News from around our 50 states," 18 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
But behind-the-scenes, Grandma’s cop-worthy post-swim lewk resulted from a practical request from the 85-year-old lead Tsai Chin, who is an accomplished — and very glamorous IRL — stage and screen legend on both sides of the pond and mainland China.
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Fawnia Soo Hoo, refinery29.com, "From Chinatown Pretty To Nora From Queens, Chinese Grandmas Are 2020’s Fashion Icons," 2 Dec. 2020
Facial coverings are required at all times, except while swimming or during the pre-swim shower.
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Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, "New reopening rules and more: Your guide to the latest coronavirus laws across South Florida," 8 Sep. 2020
Katie Ledecky enjoys her post-swim refreshments while still in the water.
—
Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE.com, "Katie Ledecky Swims Lap with Glass of Chocolate Milk on Her Head — Without Spilling It," 3 Aug. 2020
This morning, Reebok announced its latest footwear launch with Chromat, which made its runway debut during the swim brand’s Spring 2020 New York Fashion Week show.
—
Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, "The New Chromat x Reebok Collab Comes With A Post-Apocalyptic CGI Campaign," 15 May 2020
Above, swim practice in Mission Viejo, Calif., this week.
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Remy Tumin, New York Times, "Reopening Guidelines, Michael Flynn, Yeast: Your Thursday Evening Briefing," 7 May 2020
At Lawrence North: North Central won all 11 swim events for 555 points and a 13th straight title.
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David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "Carmel girls hit near-perfect sectional score, stay in lane for another swim title," 9 Feb. 2020
Now, their last year of middle school has been cut short and any celebratory activities for her boys — like eighth grade night for their swim team, Evan's final choir concert and Holden's science team competition— are either cancelled or postponed.
—
Sorell Grow, Indianapolis Star, "How fifth, eighth graders are preparing to leave elementary, middle school away from peers," 21 Apr. 2020
Immigration attorneys have sported swim goggles and masks borrowed from friends to meet with clients in detention centers.
—
Fortune, "Close immigration courts? Lawyers and judges push to stop in-person hearings amid coronavirus spread," 26 Mar. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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Learn More about swim
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Dipping into 'Swum' vs. 'Swam'
Dipping into 'Swum' vs. 'Swam'
Which is the correct past participle?
Dictionary Entries near swim
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for swim
Last Updated
30 Apr 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Swim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swim. Accessed 8 May. 2021.
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More Definitions for swim
swim
verb
English Language Learners Definition of swim
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of swim (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act or period of swimming
See the full definition for swim in the English Language Learners Dictionary
swim
verb
\ ˈswim
\
\
swam\
ˈswam
\; swum\
ˈswəm
\; swimming
Kids Definition of swim
(Entry 1 of 2)
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.
swim
nounKids Definition of swim (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act or period of swimming
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Time Traveler for swim
The first known use of swim was before the 12th century
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