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
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
There are photos taken of bruises and black lights to detect bodily fluids, wet and dry swabs, specialized containers to store all of it that only Dana can touch.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Dana next swabs Ilana’s mouth — the inside of her cheek and along the gum line — and her finger nails.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for Clare also sought to suppress mouth swabs collected from Clare and items taken by authorities from his home, including a phone and computer, but that motion was denied by the judge.
—Gabriella Ybarra, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Feb. 2026
Dana next swabs Ilana’s mouth — the inside of her cheek and along the gum line — and her finger nails.
—Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The swabs taken by the pediatrician test positive for measles, and your child’s case becomes a data point in an outbreak.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
No large-scale study has directly compared menstrual blood collection with vaginal self-swabs—a gap the authors of the new paper acknowledge.
—Christina Szalinski, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
After testing punch holes, wet and dry swabs, wet and dry vacuuming, and tools used in the forensic science community, the research team determined that dry swabbing could collect enough DNA for a sample and would not damage the artwork.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
To finish up, Dana needs internal and external vaginal swabs, additional swabs in Ilana’s mouth, and then offers meds and information regarding STIs and pregnancy.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
There are photos taken of bruises and black lights to detect bodily fluids, wet and dry swabs, specialized containers to store all of it that only Dana can touch.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Dana next swabs Ilana’s mouth — the inside of her cheek and along the gum line — and her finger nails.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2026
Attorneys for Clare also sought to suppress mouth swabs collected from Clare and items taken by authorities from his home, including a phone and computer, but that motion was denied by the judge.
—Gabriella Ybarra, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Feb. 2026
Dana next swabs Ilana’s mouth — the inside of her cheek and along the gum line — and her finger nails.
—Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The swabs taken by the pediatrician test positive for measles, and your child’s case becomes a data point in an outbreak.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
No large-scale study has directly compared menstrual blood collection with vaginal self-swabs—a gap the authors of the new paper acknowledge.
—Christina Szalinski, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
After testing punch holes, wet and dry swabs, wet and dry vacuuming, and tools used in the forensic science community, the research team determined that dry swabbing could collect enough DNA for a sample and would not damage the artwork.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swabs
Noun
-
Another vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, requested assistance from Sri Lanka and more than 200 sailors were brought ashore.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Another Iranian vessel, the IRIS Bushehr, requested assistance from Sri Lanka, where more than 200 sailors were being brought ashore.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the case of Galaxidi, however, the flour war seems to be of more recent vintage, namely from the 19th century, when traveling mariners took their inspiration from similar happenings in Sicily.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
This will be a dangerous storm for mariners — with the potential for at least 25-foot seas offshore.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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At the Veterans of Foreign Wars post, Commander Tommy Nester finds it behind the ceiling panels, brushes it off the uniforms that aren’t behind glass and sweeps it from the baseboards of the main hall.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Election workers at more than 270 locations without navigators were provided with the same Democratic and Republican tablets for that purpose.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Increasing the visibility of these services, conducting outreach and integrating formerly incarcerated men as peer navigators can help build trust.—
Helena Addison,
The Conversation,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The pH-balanced formula effectively lifts away makeup, bacteria, and daily buildup, then rinses off easily without leaving residue behind.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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The panel combs through a variety of influences like film and TV production; art, fashion and design trends; new technologies, materials, textures; and even social media or upcoming sporting events.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Precipitation scrubs the atmosphere clean, picking up pollutants on its way down to the ground.—
Isabel Lopez,
Parents,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Light snow dusts the canyon’s upper rims, crowds thin, the air turns crisp, and one of the most magical Christmas experiences in the country appears.—
Emilee Coblentz,
Outside,
13 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swabs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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