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 The Piper remained largely intact as Tenkley, wearing a bikini, swam away from the aircraft with the help of a lifeguard who arrived in moments to assist. — Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Those who took part swam 1,500 meters in Lake Michigan, bicycled nearly 25 miles, and then ran a 10k. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 The younger competitors swam 100 meters, then biked just over 2 miles and ran a little over half a mile. — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 Across the cove, less than a hundred yards away, another beaver swam to its lodge, also with a mouthful of sticks. — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026 Taylor Ruck swam the freestyle leg for Canada and picked up her third bronze of the night, having previously finished third in the 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter backstroke. — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 The family also appeared to get up close and personal with some sea creatures, and in one picture, Valente could be seen holding his son above the water as what appeared to be a stingray swam by. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026 During an altercation between the occupants of the boats, Simpson swam to the air compressor and turned it off, according to an affidavit. — Milena Malaver, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 Many swam several miles in the Mediterranean to avoid the heavily fortified border fence – leaving 88 people drowned in just 48 hours. — Kelsey Norman, The Conversation, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
  1. spun
  2. hovered
  3. sailed
  4. floated
  5. drifted
Verb
  • The Audi pair almost had a similar problem when Gabriel Bortoleto spun on a greasy but drying track that also caught out and wrecked Verstappen on the opening lap.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • His approach, and the propaganda machine that has spun it as a law-and-order success story, has turned Bukele into an international figure, and cast leaders like Petro and Cepeda, who helped design Petro’s strategy, as soft on crime.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • The autonomous food delivery droid robots hovered on top of the food truck counter as if the surface were a stage.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But things went sideways when the drone hovered above Austen’s pool and dropped the package into the water.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Nvidia had already reported results that sailed past estimates by the time CFO Colette Kress came into the earnings call with a stunning forecast for next year.
    — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Milton, though, was flushed from the pocket, and a late throw to Brown sailed out of bounds.
    — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Trump floated renaming Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes, amid growing trade tensions with Canada.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • Washington instead drifted to his right as Mendoza threw, allowing Woodaz to undercut and intercept.
    — Sam Warren, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • But now, Wright says Wendy’s has drifted from some of those qualities, telling investors that decisions made in the interest of cost and efficiency had degraded some of the food quality that set the chain apart.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 19 Aug. 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 27 Aug. 2026.

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