swimming

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

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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

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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 swimming In one of the film’s tautest sequences, they’re caught swimming in a neighbor’s pool by a caretaker (Damien Bonnard), and Sana must decide whether to pay off the man to keep his silence. Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025 The lengthy pre-copulation stage involved all three sharks motionless on the seafloor for nearly an hour, after which the female started swimming with one male shark biting onto each of her pectoral fins. Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025 The largest animal thought to ever live is swimming through the world’s oceans today. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2025 The Atlantic Ocean is too cold for swimming in the fall, though experiencing the water on a nature cruise or lobster boat is good fun. Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swimming
Verb
  • Legend has it that spinning three times with your right heel on the testicles of the bull in its center will bring you good luck.
    Laura Itzkowitz, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Tropical Storm Octave is spinning over the tropical eastern Pacific, according to the NHC.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Centuries ago, a fleet of Spanish ships laden with gold, silver and jewels taken from the New World was sailing back to Spain when a hurricane wrecked the flotilla on July 31, 1715, spilling the treasures into the sea, according to the 1715 Fleet Society.
    Kate Payne, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Emerald Cruises & Tours follows the seasons by sailing Europe’s rivers when blossoms and vineyards are at their peak, and heading south for Caribbean warmth in the winter.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Crude is down 11% this year, with some analysts expecting prices, currently hovering above $60 a barrel, to dip into the low $50s as oversupply builds.
    semafor.com, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Safe havens surge While stocks are hovering near record highs, a surge in gold and silver prices is signaling lingering concern about political and economic uncertainty.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The art news website ArtNet even pointed out that the scene in season 3 of White Lotus in which Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Woods are floating dead in the water appears to invoke the Millais painting.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Republicans are floating ways to put income caps on the subsidies or limit the number of people who are eligible to receive them.
    Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • On third-and-11 in the first quarter, Iamaleava spotted a sliver of daylight that wasn’t there a blink before and turned it into a 22-yard jailbreak up the gut, gliding past white jerseys.
    Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The simplicity is intentional so your eye isn't bouncing, but rather gliding through the room.
    Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • With the game in danger of drifting, Zubimendi kept probing.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The pajama set is crafted from deep red silk and printed with abstract nude figures — a motif inspired by bodies in motion and drifting smoke, as well as the photography of Arno Nobles.
    Hanna McNeila, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swimming. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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