swim 1 of 2

verb

ˈswim How to pronounce swim (audio)
Definition of swimnext
1
as in to spin
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to sail
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

swim

2 of 2

noun

as in trance
a temporary state of unconsciousness the merest glimpse of blood sends him into a swim

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 swim
Verb
Hamachi tiradito at Tio Lucho’s A Peruvian take on crudo, this dish features sashimi-thin slices of hamachi paired with fresh peach wedges and charred cherry tomatoes swimming in a bright, milky leche de tigre. — Angela Hansberger, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Active travelers can swim with manta rays, scuba dive in the Great Astrolabe Reef, or participate in hands-on coral restoration. — Sarah Farag, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
Later, adults can grab a drink at the park’s swim-up bar while kids play a game of water basketball in Crocodile Cove. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026 Almost everything on the menu grows, swims, or gets distilled within a few kilometers of the kitchen. — Monica Mendal, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swim
  1. spin
  2. sail
  3. trance
  4. float
  5. daze
  6. hover
  7. faint
  8. ride
Verb
  • One planet spins almost on its side, another is hotter than the world closest to the Sun, and a moon is being continuously reshaped by volcanic eruptions.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The other potential development area has a slimmer time frame to spin to life before conditions get more hostile around midweek.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of spin
Verb
  • The incident took place earlier this month when a vessel was sailing in a fjord in northeastern Svalbard, around 620 miles from the North Pole.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • However, tankers bound for Asia from the Mediterranean must sail around Africa, adding roughly 25 days to the journey compared with the Bab-el Mandeb route.
    — , CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sail
Noun
  • His research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and trance states, as well as surveys of people's spiritual experiences and attitudes.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026
  • One by one, as if roused from a trance, my fellow staffers rose from their workstations and filed to the exit.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Definition of trance
Verb
  • The custom floating hot tub can seat up to six people and moves at a cool 3 miles per hour through the calm waters north of Logan Airport.
    — Brandon Truitt, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In that test, the first-stage booster returned to a floating platform about six minutes after ⁠the separation of its first and upper stage, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of float
Noun
  • Everyone in town seemed to walk through that day in a daze; Leslie’s name was spoken in hushed whispers.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
  • Kutsuna has an impish twinkle; Yamada mutely swans about in a daze like an opium fiend.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of daze
Verb
  • In addition, jobless claims have hovered around 200,000 a week, and the number of job openings has been rising over the past six months, Slok pointed out.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • No one will string the words together and actually say it out loud, but as former players and Campbell tap-dance around the uncomfortable question about what’s changed, the message hovering between the lines is not difficult to read.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of hover
Noun
  • Starting and running a business isn’t for the faint of heart.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Some of the stadium prices aren’t for the faint of heart, with a water alone almost costing $10 and a birria quesadilla almost $30.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
Definition of faint
Verb
  • Though Wisconsin is currently held by a Democratic governor, Republicans are hoping to take back the seat this November, riding the coattails of Trump flipping the state in 2024 and eyeing the possible opportunity to take on socialist Hong.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026
  • His 12-year-old son, Austin, rides his bicycle to school and must cross Watt Avenue, which advocates identify as one of the county's more dangerous corridors.
    — James Taylor, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of ride

Browse Nearby Words

swills
swim
swimming
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swim. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on swim

Nglish: Translation of swim for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All