swash 1 of 2

Definition of swashnext
1
as in to splash
to move with a splashing motion waves gently swashing against the shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to slosh
to cause (something liquid or mushy) to move along in sheets every bump in the road swashed a little more of my soda on the car's upholstery

Synonyms & Similar Words

swash

2 of 2

noun

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 swash
Verb
Recurring character Goro Majima swashes his buckles as the sole protagonist, taking to the seas having suffered from an almighty case of pirate amnesia. Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
Mole crabs burrow themselves in the intertidal swash zone but leave their antennae exposed above the surface to trap food like algae and plankton. Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025 This cushiony highlighter deposits a swash of subtle champagne, rose quartz, or gold while the squalane (the secret star of the show) provides moisture for a long-lasting look that provides a skin-like, never cakey, finish. Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 5 Oct. 2024 The dessert menu is just as backward-looking (or, more generously, classic-minded) as the savory offerings: cheesecake with a swash of berry sauce, dark chocolate pot de crème. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 30 June 2024 Glow Set a travel necessity—perfect for quick makeup touch-ups, passing through TSA, or a shimmering swash of color. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2021 Hollywood’s history is rich with swash-buckling scenes. Allison Prang, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021 Some big trout are still in the swash on the beach at dawn, though this action will slow as the water continues to warm—topwaters get them. Frank Sargeant, al, 18 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swash
Verb
  • Muller has spent the past 12 years experiencing the ups and downs, fitful starts and stops her sport has endured since first splashing on the Swiss hockey scene as a 15-year-old by scoring her nation’s first bronze-medal clinching goal at the 2014 Sochi Games.
    John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Her fluent Mandarin also gives her access to an enormous market in China, where her face is splashed across billboards and television screens.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The exhibition turned into an enchanting torrent of paper planes made from Chinese red envelopes—commonly gifted during Lunar New Year—which fell in unison seven stories down to the sound of gasps of awe.
    Savannah Hanoum, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits after the statute of limitations was relaxed.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The Padres arrived at the Peoria Sports Complex in February 2023 with a swagger befitting a team that had advanced to the National League Championship Series the previous fall and had spent the winter spending money.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Lee can’t kill the mood of anyone excited about Jewish sports swagger.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Resignations have rippled across the academic, legal and business communities.
    Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Those separation waves ripple down the ridges thousands of times per second, kicking the air rhythmically.
    Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The farm also offers other events including a sweet pea maze (included with admission), $8 wagon tours, gold sluice mining, wine tasting, crafts, yoga, sound baths and more at additional cost.
    Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Eventually, the animals were clustered into a sluice-like enclosure, and then the animals would be extracted one by one.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Okay, Joy, get in there with the sass!
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Her sass pretty much sealed the deal on our guesses.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • In 2017, soaking storms led to flooding that caused $100 million in damage in downtown San Jose and the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people when the spillway at Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest dam, in Butte County, partially collapsed under torrents of water.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • More than 180,000 people evacuated from Yuba-Sutter and beyond when the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway nearly failed in 2017.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • The closest the data center would be to Weston Gardens is 370 feet, said Riley, due to a wooded floodway and floodplain between the Black Mountain property and Weston’s.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Call it resilience, call it infrastructure, call it economic development—just build it before the next 8-year-old goes to sleep in a floodway.
    Daniel Lehewych, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swash. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.

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