swim

verb \ ˈswim \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

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

Items at the sale include spring and summer clothing for boys and girls newborn to size eight, shoes, swim diapers, summer dresses, toys, bikes, strollers, and maternity clothing.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "MOMS Club Semi-Annual Sale This Weekend," 17 Apr. 2018
The six crew members barely had time to put on their survival suits and issue a mayday before the boat sank, leaving the fishermen swimming for their life raft.

— Outside Online, "In Search of the Vanished Destination," 17 Apr. 2018
Harris, a freshman, set the school backstroke record earlier this year by swimming a 57.02, lowering Meghan Casillan's mark of 57.51 from 1996.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "Huntington Beach girls’ swimming smashes relay record from 1997," 15 Apr. 2018
In mammals, fertilization occurs when a sperm cell swims out to fuse with an egg.

— laura yan, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Is Sending Human Sperm Into Space," 14 Apr. 2018
Arizona State’s Bob Bowman doesn’t know if he’ll be selected again as U.S. men’s swim coach for the 2020 Olympics.

— jeff metcalfe, azcentral, "Minus Michael Phelps, U.S. men still loaded for 2020 Olympics with Caeleb Dressel, Chase Kalisz," 14 Apr. 2018
Two men who had been swimming off the Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park needed rescue from the Coast Guard Saturday evening after a current swept them out to sea.

— anne geggis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Coast Guard rescues two swimmers near Port Everglades," 14 Apr. 2018
The sharks thrive on these tiny floating critters, chowing down by swimming close to the surface of the water, mouths agape, filtering the plankton in their specialized gills.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Massive Gathering of Mysterious Basking Sharks Found in Aerial Photos," 13 Apr. 2018
What can regular users, civic-minded voters with earnest political values, do to keep from getting rolled by the online leviathan or the hucksters swimming around inside of it?

— gregory krieg, CNN, "Don't want to get rolled on Facebook? Know your own politics.," 10 Apr. 2018

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

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

Because that was the standard, four years ago, Gerald Hodges made the team -- perhaps the only kid to ever make a high school swim team without a clue how to swim.

— steve hartman, CBS News, "Diving into the unknown, student athlete proves the merits of hard work," 13 Apr. 2018
Before heading off to college, each of the four CdM girls' water polo seniors is part of the swim team this spring.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "CdM girls’ water polo sending four seniors to the next level," 8 Apr. 2018
Jaelynn Willey — who was on her school swim team and was the second-oldest of nine siblings — was shot in the head by 17-year-old Austin Wyatt Rollins shortly before classes began at Great Mills High School in Maryland on Tuesday.

— katie reilly, Time, "16-Year-Old Maryland School Shooting Victim Jaelynn Willey Dies After Being Taken Off Life Support," 23 Mar. 2018
Melissa described her daughter as being involved in school activities such as the swim team and being the second oldest of nine children.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Maryland School Shooting Victim, 16, Dies After Being Removed From Life Support," 23 Mar. 2018
Willey was one of nine, the second oldest child, and was a member of her school's swim team, according to her mother.

— NBC News, "Maryland school shooting victim taken off life support by family," 23 Mar. 2018
Jaelynn was one of nine siblings, her mother said, and a member of the swim team.

— matthew barakat and brian witte, chicagotribune.com, "Maryland school shooting victim dies," 23 Mar. 2018
Jaelynn is one of nine siblings, according to a statement from the family, and a member of the swim team.

— Washington Post, "Officer’s response praised as school shooting ends quickly," 21 Mar. 2018
Of Swedish heritage, Nicholas had plans to visit Sweden to compete for a chance to swim for its national swim team.

— vic ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, "Senior killed in Florida school shooting had scholarship at UIndy, coach says," 15 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of swim

1599

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

blackout, faint, insensibility, knockout, 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," 11 Sep. 2017
Martin, who was a member of the swim team at West Senior High School got a visit from Harbaugh, who donned a swim cap and goggles to meet Martin.

— chris kwiecinski, ajc, "Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh spends his bye week Saturday practicing his cannonball," 30 Sep. 2017
The rezoning plan won’t include a swim club, which many neighbors supported but others opposed because of concerns about traffic and congestion.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "Historic Charlotte estate’s future could include reusing building – or demolition," 30 Oct. 2017
So, in one kingdom based primarily in water, Mario can buy swim goggles and swimwear.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "'Super Mario Odyssey' is the reason to buy Nintendo Switch this holiday," 26 Oct. 2017
After they were done, Long, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts and wearing swim goggles, entered the water, holding on to a bucket of rocks to stay rooted to the bottom of the pond.

— eric adler, kansascity, "KC couple’s lost engagement ring is found — and they kept it secret for days," 20 Sep. 2017
The swim team from Sunman-Dearborn Middle School was on the bus trying to make their way to Connersville High school for a meet.

— Cincinnati.com, "16 students hospitalized after SE Indiana bus crash," 19 Sep. 2017
New Swimmer Evaluations are held to make sure that swimmers are safe in the water and ready to be on swim team.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 18 Sep. 2017
Fish and eel also will be able to more easily swim upstream, according to DNR.

— libby solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Trails blocked in state park as Bloede Dam removal project kicks off," 6 Sep. 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

Examples of swim in a Sentence

Recent Examples of swim from the Web

Origin and Etymology of swim

swim Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

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

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes