swabs 1 of 2

noun

plural of swab
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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swabs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of swab
as in wipes

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swabs
Noun
Investigators took swabs from two soda bottles collected from Brown’s trash, and sent the samples to the UNT lab for testing, according to the affidavit. — Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026 Maybe there will be liquid biopsies (specialized blood tests) or even cheek swabs that can detect breast cancer. — Tara Thomas, Glamour, 10 July 2026 In April, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies matched Hakim’s DNA with vaginal swabs taken during the rape examination, according to the affidavit. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026 His fellow University of Pennsylvania football players performed cheek swabs on students who stopped to sign up at the event this spring. — Rylan Digiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026 Before Werhan left the police barracks, troopers seized his phone and his clothes and took swabs of his hands and face. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026 Meanwhile, in swabs from the mummy’s skin, Sarhan and his colleagues found bacteria like Methylobaderium and Sphingomonas, both known for being resilient in tough environments and for forming biofilms. — ArsTechnica, 6 June 2026 Prosecutors said a rape kit collected during Kepner’s autopsy included vaginal swabs that tested positive for male DNA, and one swab also tested positive for sperm. — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2026 Fingerprints lifted off the window matched 25-year-old Eduart Gomez Ochoa, as did DNA swabs from the teen’s foot and a winter hat the suspect left behind, according to a criminal complaint filed against him Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court. — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swabs
  1. sailors
  2. brushes
  3. mariners
  4. rinses
  5. navigators
  6. combs
  7. scrubs
  8. dusts
Noun
  • There is another helm aft, which allows sailors to enjoy the exhilaration of the windward hull.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 July 2026
  • The tentacular Scylla is seen briefly but makes an impact, yanking sailors off Odysseus’s ship in a series of loud jump scares.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2026
Definition of sailors
Verb
  • Out on 6th Avenue, a woman brushes by me holding a tiny white dog.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 July 2026
  • Johnson brushes off the skirmishes, broadly speaking, as part of the governing process.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Definition of brushes
Noun
  • The International Maritime Organization said the attack killed two mariners and wounded 14 others on two of the tankers, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, which were associated with the United Arab Emirates.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • On a previous voyage, the captain—who is in his late fifties, with a young wife and child—pursued the gigantic, unnaturally white sperm whale known to mariners as Moby Dick.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of mariners
Verb
  • 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
Definition of rinses
Noun
  • Troutman said nonurgent calls redirected to the nurse navigators will result in cost savings for Arlington.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026
  • Additionally, employers should provide dedicated benefits navigators to guide employees through complex survivor benefits, Social Security, and life insurance decisions.
    — Christine Michel Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of navigators
Verb
  • Another founder, Sheridan Clayborne, built an AI agent that combs the internet for the best credit card and banking deals, netting him thousands of dollars.
    — Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 14 July 2026
  • 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, 7 June 2026
Definition of combs
Verb
  • The Cece Hand Wash effectively scrubs away dead skin cells, dirt, and grime with a clean, hydrating, antioxidant-rich formula featuring rosella extract and argan oil.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 16 June 2026
  • Prime lips for a perfectly smooth, even application using the 3-in-1 Lip Scrub pen, which gently scrubs away dead skin with super-fine sugar granules and keeps lips hydrated with nourishing shea butter and algae.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 May 2026
Definition of scrubs
Verb
  • Winter is also a wonderful surprise, when soft snow blankets valley trails and dusts the mountaintops.
    — Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of dusts

Browse Nearby Words

swabbing
swabs
swaddle
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Cite this Entry

“Swabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swabs. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of swabs for Spanish Speakers

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