swimming

verb

Definition of swimmingnext
present participle of swim
1
as in spinning
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sailing
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 swimming It’s estimated about 25% of the sunscreen people apply to their skin washes off while swimming or wading in the ocean. — Matthew Perrone, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 For twenty years, McCarthy has been swimming against the current, writing novels that reflect, with unusual intensity, his disdain for the conventional underpinnings of literary fiction. — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 It's estimated about 25% of the sunscreen people apply to their skin washes off while swimming or wading in the ocean. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 But psychological sense be damned, Jay sets himself the task of suiting up in diving gear and swimming out in search of his dad’s remains. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Leo is known for living an active and healthy lifestyle, including swimming and playing tennis, all factors that likely worked in his favor going into the surgery. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 As for dust and water resistance, the Edge is rated IP68 and is safe for swimming up to 5ATM. — Victoria Song, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026 The Accents Perhaps even more than the gigantic thing swimming in the ocean eating people, the thick Newfoundland accents are Below’s standout feature. — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 Stephens is also running cross country for West Orange, and swimming with the Southwest Stars Swim Club. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swimming
  1. spinning
  2. sailing
  3. hovering
  4. floating
  5. gliding
  6. drifting
Verb
  • Pepsi's relationship with Taco Bell and KFC parent Yum Brands spans decades, back to when the beverage giant owned the restaurant chains before spinning them into a separate public company in 1997.
    — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The company uses a proprietary two-step process that first removes gums and other noncellulosic components from raw hemp fiber, then refines the material for spinning on equipment already used to process cotton and synthetic fibers.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of spinning
Verb
  • The unfortunate crew of the doomed vessel were likely sailing to the west when disaster struck, the researchers wrote in a study about the wreck that was published earlier this year.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The fourth ship was identified as the Al Saadiyat, sailing under the Marshall Islands flag.
    — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • So nothing can dissipate the cloud of suspicion hovering over Attorney General James Uthmeier.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Compare that to the country’s overall unemployment rate, which is hovering around 4%.
    — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • Vincent Fiordilino was found floating face-down in an in-ground pool during a Super Bowl gathering at the family's home in Gilbert, Arizona, according to police.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Those little pieces floating around in there that can’t get out.
    — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of floating
Verb
  • After a brief safety lesson on navigating the course and its cables, participants can ride a zip line into the park, gliding 60 feet above the quarry floor at speeds exceeding 30 mph.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • With a pair of real horns, one of them plays the bull by gliding toward the fuchsia bullfighting cape.
    — Eyder Peralta, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of gliding
Verb
  • Three-times married, his was to be a literary career pock-marked by substance abuse issues leading to a peripatetic existence drifting from one august institution to another.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drifting

Browse Nearby Words

swim
swimming
swimmingly
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Cite this Entry

“Swimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swimming. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about swimming

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