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 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 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
  • Adidas reportedly spent $67 million on its hero film, Backyard Legends, while Nike also splashed heavily on talent — Kim Kardashian, Kylian Mbappé, Central Cee, and LeBron James, among others — for its competing short, Rip the Script.
    Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 16 July 2026
  • While the Super Heavy booster will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Boca Chica, the Ship upper stage will follow a suborbital trajectory for a target splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Western Australia.
    Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • An analysis of a torrent of public comments submitted on a White House proposal to change the way federal contracts and grants are doled out shows a widespread rebuke of the potential change by scientists and others.
    Anil Oza, STAT, 15 July 2026
  • The bull case is a torrent of words at odds with cash-flow reality.
    Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Noun
  • Spain’s defensive prowess and swagger were just too much for an attacking trio led by France great Kylian Mbappé, and just enough to get the 2010 champions into another World Cup final.
    STEPHEN HAWKINS, AJC.com, 14 July 2026
  • Fueled by gritty guitars and a bluesy rock swagger, the song channels the music that shaped Twain’s youth while revisiting the confidence, freedom and idealism of adolescence.
    SPIN Staff, SPIN, 10 July 2026
Verb
  • Shockwaves rippled through film circles after news reports that Letterboxd soon could be snapped up by a corporate buyer.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • Missile and drone attacks rippled across Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and inside Iran.
    Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Noun
  • Dam Removal Europe found that the number of dams dismantled in 2025, along with other water-flow controls like weirs, culverts and sluices, grew by 11% from the year before.
    Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 3 June 2026
  • The archways are furnished with sluice gates that can open to allow excess water to pass through in periods of flooding.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • Played to perfection by Robert Picardo, the Emergency Medical Hologram was programmed to save lives and give sass.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 July 2026
  • Wit and sass are sexy as Mercury and Jupiter harmonize.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • The largest among them, the Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River, needs a multi-hundred-million-dollar spillway upgrade to comply with modern flood safety standards.
    CBS News, CBS News, 12 June 2026
  • The matrix of canals that flow through South Florida — and the spillways that control them — are on the verge of not functioning due to sea-level rise, according to the South Florida Water Management District, which operates them.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 4 June 2026
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 19 Jul. 2026.

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