as in sailors
one who operates or navigates a seagoing vessel
old swabs swapping sea stories as they spend their last days in the veterans' home
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Recent Examples of swabs
Charlotte Observer, 29 Apr. 2026
Four health workers went door to door with suitcases full of swabs and vials.
—Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026
In response to one question, Duross noted that the UV light used doesn’t show the specific type of bodily fluids that are present, and that is determined when the evidence swabs are tested at the lab.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
The kit included taking swabs for DNA.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
The variant was also present in samples from travelers' voluntary nose swabs.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Public health experts use various methods of surveillance to track variants, including testing samples of wastewater, collecting voluntary nasal swabs from travelers, and reviewing viral samples collected from patients by doctors and hospitals.
—Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Legal search for answers Court filings show the Police Department previously received a subpoena to allow for the inspection of evidence collected at the crime scene, including a bullet fragment, blood swabs and articles of clothing worn by Jane Doe.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Sticky pads/swabs to remove debris without leaving residue Sticky pads, also called sensor cleaning pads, use a gentle adhesive surface to lift debris from the sensor without leaving a residue.
—Jacob Little, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
She was transported to a hospital, and vaginal swabs were collected for DNA evidence.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Apr. 2026
Four health workers went door to door with suitcases full of swabs and vials.
—Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026
In response to one question, Duross noted that the UV light used doesn’t show the specific type of bodily fluids that are present, and that is determined when the evidence swabs are tested at the lab.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026
The kit included taking swabs for DNA.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2026
The variant was also present in samples from travelers' voluntary nose swabs.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
Public health experts use various methods of surveillance to track variants, including testing samples of wastewater, collecting voluntary nasal swabs from travelers, and reviewing viral samples collected from patients by doctors and hospitals.
—Dallas Morning News, 27 Mar. 2026
Legal search for answers Court filings show the Police Department previously received a subpoena to allow for the inspection of evidence collected at the crime scene, including a bullet fragment, blood swabs and articles of clothing worn by Jane Doe.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Sticky pads/swabs to remove debris without leaving residue Sticky pads, also called sensor cleaning pads, use a gentle adhesive surface to lift debris from the sensor without leaving a residue.
—Jacob Little, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swabs
Noun
-
Indigo waves Along the Pacific Coast of the United States, waves of shimmering, indigo blue creatures known as Velella velella or by-the-wind sailors, have been washing up on beaches this spring.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
More than 20,000 sailors aboard around 1,600 vessels are trapped in the region.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Just know that there is an army of mariners on the ships, moving those goods around the world.—
Steve Kastenbaum,
NPR,
9 May 2026
-
Hundreds of vessels and thousands of mariners are still stranded in and around the strait, where traffic had flowed freely for decades before the Iran war broke out.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Tokyo Stylez, Cardi’s hairstylist, brushes out a sleek brown hairpiece, and Erika la’ pearl, her makeup artist, dabs at Cardi’s face while the rapper scrolls through her phone, controlling the music.—
Jazmine Hughes,
Allure,
24 Mar. 2026
-
When some chime in to say their doctors had been cautiously optimistic about treatments, Sarah brushes that aside.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Michelle Quesada, interim executive director of Planned Parenthood of Florida, said since the six-week ban went into effect, its patient navigators in Florida have connected more than 6,000 patients to resources in other states.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
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People too often imagine the Church as having played second fiddle in colonial history, jumping on opportunities opened up by the actions of kings, navigators, and merchants.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Plus, its self-cleaning function rinses the brushroll after each use and dumps the debris into the dirt tank.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Moisture is why LaMarita never rinses cauliflower before tucking it into the crisper.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel combs the depths of the Vistula River day and night, caught in a grueling, endless routine and torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the fragile hope that his son may still be alive.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
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Zayas also combs through the dark web, a criminal haven on the internet where anonymous threat actors try to cause real-world harm.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Anti-dictatorship, but for kids Serkis scrubs the story of its violence, at least in any graphic manner.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
If one person always scrubs toilet bowl rings, resentment can build, so try to get ahead of that.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Snow sometimes dusts the surrounding slopes, melting by afternoon into damp earth as manzanita and mountain lilac begin to flower.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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To demonstrate, Ejae smiles to form creases below her eyes, then dusts some brown powder onto the area.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swabs. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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