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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 Thinking the only safe way to get Sandra out would be by breaking a window, Joe swam through the kitchen and escaped out the back doorway. — Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026 All but one happened between June and mid-September as people sat under a tree in a park, swam at the beach and rode bikes through a neighborhood. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
  1. spun
  2. hovered
  3. sailed
  4. floated
  5. drifted
Verb
  • DJs spun Wasian musicians, including Rodrigo, Mitski, and Japanese Breakfast.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • During the cocktail hour, DJ Mia Moretti spun admirably, and the dinner began with two songs from an up-and-coming musician named Mimi Webb, who did her best to warm up the room.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • In the app, Microsoft’s AI assistant, called Copilot, hovered over the page.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In July, some 300 drones rose beside the 101 freeway and hovered for 15 minutes, forming Angelyne’s face and a telephone number in the night sky.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • And a 26-year-old naturalist named Charles Darwin arrived aboard the British Royal Navy ship HMS Beagle, which had sailed from England nearly four years earlier on a mission to chart South America.
    — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 14, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Tyler Shough’s two-point pass attempt sailed over Noah Fant, allowing Detroit to avoid the near-collapse with a 31-30 victory in overtime.
    — Doug Kezirian, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • By Monday, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark floated mandatory kill switches for AI systems.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
  • One potential reason floated to Semafor by market participants is that compute futures could be manipulated to show a sharp drop in the cost of older chips, which might destabilize AI stocks and debt markets.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • The Rams did secure one interception on Purdy, when Quentin Lake drifted back into zone and Purdy tried to force a ball to Evans and threw it right at Lake.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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