swim 1 of 2

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

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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

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swim

2 of 2

noun

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

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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
Life In the Dark The 80-plus organisms observed in Totem Pole Cave were swimming in shallow pools within the cave system. Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026 The same article mentions that as a youth, Mundt swam at Lakeside Swim Club, 2010 Trevilian Way, a popular outdoor swimming facility in Louisville's Highland neighborhood, which has produced several Olympic swimmers. Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
Speaking of the pool, the primary suite opens right onto the terrace, so morning swims are very much on the table. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026 Plans for the lagoon include kayaking, swimming, a floating obstacle course, a splash pad and a swim-up bar. Alexandria Mansfield, Florida Times-Union, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swim
Verb
  • The influx of new observers allowed organizers to spin up neighborhood-specific rapid response groups and reduce response times.
    Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Atkin rotates uphill, alley oop, in the opposite direction to the natural flow of the pipe, and spins 540 degrees (one and a half rotations) before finishing with a mute grab.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • But the ball that sailed over the left-field fence at UFCU Disch-Falk Field didn’t break an extra-inning tie or complete a ninth-inning comeback.
    Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
  • For a key car crash, for example, Kosinski really sent the car sailing off a ramp into the woods rather than create it in the computer, which Whittle said had a benefit not only in terms of image but sound.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The floating objects, trance communications, phantom touches, miraculous healings, and poltergeist writings that followed in the five decades after Mona’s death were attributed to her and a pantheon of other notable spirits, including Black Elk.
    Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
  • In other words, the age-old trance of acceptance has broken, and there are suddenly too many entrepreneurs capturing disaffected audiences by accusing legacy institutions of corruption and cowardice.
    Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • After two timeouts, Dent took the inbound on the left side of the court and drove the length of the floor before floating underneath 7-foot-2 Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic to hit the game-winning layup.
    Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Rainbow Springs State Park’s sapphire-blue waters well up from the earth with startling clarity, a living force that has drawn people here for thousands of years—from the Timucua who once gathered along its banks to modern-day visitors floating quietly above the headsprings.
    Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • And there’s still almost an hour of film left to go, in which everyone, including the audience, is in a sort of hallucinatory, post traumatic daze — but even the relative comfort of that won’t last long.
    ABC News, ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Now the state, if not region, is in a daze.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Savannah is a city fixated on its ghosts, whether in the form of a hovering spirit or the weight of a rich, complicated history that seems to drape everything like Spanish moss.
    Adam Kuehl, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The bulk of the movie is set in intake rooms where potential patients are evaluated by medical professionals; hovering over their questioning is the possibility of patients’ involuntary hospitalization, whether for observation, protection, or treatment.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Serving fresh seafood of the highest quality on an ever-changing menu in the heart of America’s Heartland is a task not for the faint of spirit, but attention from Bon Appetit, the New York Times and the James Beard Foundation proves the crew at Sedalia’s is more than up for the challenge.
    USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • This character is classic McCarthy, from her impressive displays of anger (captured on videotape) to her repeated, dramatic fake faints.
    Charu Sinha, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said via X that the seizure from the sleek, low-riding boat with three visible motors brought the weekly total to nearly 11 tons.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026
  • But please don’t stop complaining about the numerous kids who abuse traffic laws while riding dangerously on e-bikes.
    Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swim. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.

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