swam

verb

Definition of swamnext
past tense of swim
1
as in spun
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around his head was swimming after he was given so much information on his first day at the new job

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hovered
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air there appeared to be an oily film swimming on the water

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 swam The 25-year-old man from Kansas City’s Northland swam away from the shore, according to the report. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026 More to the point, nearly all of those who swam over the border had returned to Morocco by Sunday morning. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026 On July 22, Liz swam around a jetty in the water in front of the property until noon, per surveillance videos released by her family. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026 Peters held Moses up against the car as two other bystanders swam out with life vests. — Liz Crawford, CBS News, 31 July 2026 In an Instagram video posted on on July 19, Ronaldo swam in a giant pool. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 30 July 2026 Both incidents demonstrated teamwork; one orca held a sharptail sunfish, scientifically named Masturus lanceolatus, by its tail, while another orca swam toward the fish at high speed. — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 Merhige has swam five of the seven, including the Cook Strait and the Catalina and English channels. — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 21 July 2026 Though much derided in advance, this expansion of the rubric did mean that Cabo Verde swam into our ken. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
  1. spun
  2. hovered
  3. sailed
  4. floated
  5. drifted
Verb
  • Naima was a Muslim convert who likely spun Coltrane’s compass toward non-Western cultures.
    — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • And the autoscaler, doing exactly what it was told, spun up more GPUs to handle it.
    — Srikanta Datta, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • One day in June, as temperatures hovered around 90, Pugh visited Watershed Navigation Center, a refuge run by Partnership for people without steady housing to have a meal or see a doctor.
    — Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The county’s four oldest classes, grades 9-12, hovered above 26,500 last October.
    — Austin Horn August 3, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • The pass sailed over tight end Mason Taylor‘s head in the pouring rain and into Fitzpatrick’s arms.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Murray sailed a throw down the left sideline in Jefferson’s direction.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • The idea is floated that Alice married Hagood because her churchgoing parents would not have countenanced her going to Paris any other way; then again, photographs of him present a man of striking good looks.
    — Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In the meeting today, attendees floated the idea of a future event related to the proposal, perhaps to continue discussing it.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • Sales taxes have drifted gradually higher over multiple decades, said Loughead of the Tax Foundation.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • Defeated, the dementor drifted down the aisle and out of sight.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
Definition of drifted

Browse Nearby Words

swallows
swam
swami
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Cite this Entry

“Swam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swam. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of swam for Spanish Speakers

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