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

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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 In field tests across Lake Geneva, the machine swam through the lake before flapping its wings, breaking the water’s surface, and taking flight into the open air. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026 And none of us have swam in the ocean the same way since! — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026 His father, John, swam for the Spartans. — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 Finally, Dick swam past the other horses and headed for the opposite bank. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 No one knows why Walker swam away from the fire to an uninhabited island. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 17 June 2026 Tasha Reidenbach, who swam from 2015 to 2019, expressed similar concerns in a brief direct message. — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 16 June 2026 After jumping a fence, Revell swam across a river and ran into the woods. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 10 June 2026 This is staggering compared to the control fish, which only swam about 12 miles (19 kilometers). — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
  1. spun
  2. hovered
  3. sailed
  4. floated
  5. drifted
Verb
  • In a move first reported by The Athletic, Philadelphia initially reached out to Paul when Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson spun the trade that brought Jaylen Brown to the Sixers from the Boston Celtics.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Cooper has spun Call Her Daddy’s success into Unwell, an ever-expanding media and lifestyle brand that includes a podcast network, films and TV series, live events, and beverages.
    — Kara Nesvig, Time, 14 July 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • The temperature hit 106 degrees at Chicago’s Midway Airport and hovered between the high 90s and low triple digits for the next five days.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • Dark clouds hovered around the stadium just before kickoff, threatening to delay the start of the game, but Mother Nature apparently is a soccer fan, because the storm veered away.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • Twice England’s post was struck but when Enzo Fernández’s sublime strike sailed past Jordan Pickford in the 85th minute, there only ever felt like one winner.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • Mbappé took his last shot in the game’s waning moments, to raucous cheers from the mostly Spanish crowd as the ball sailed over the goalpost.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • These collapses have haunted state Assemblymember Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas), who first floated the idea of an early warning system.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
  • Anderson Cooper, and Erin Burnett, who is someone that White House officials allegedly floated as someone who could be replaced if new ownership takes over.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • But here, Desire Doue played a little deeper than usual, and Kylian Mbappe drifted over to that side, always ready to break.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 10 July 2026
  • Short-form social content that recruits new audiences and reactivates the ones who drifted away.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 10 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 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on swam

Nglish: Translation of swam for Spanish Speakers

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