Synonyms of swimming

swimming

verb

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

• spinning
• whirling
• turning
• swirling
• reeling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collecting
• calming
• settling
• steadying

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

• sailing
• hovering
• floating
• gliding
• drifting
• riding
• bobbing
• hanging
• wafting
• dangling
• poising
• suspending
• rafting
• buoying
• ballooning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sinking
• settling
• diving
• plunging
• lunging
• dipping
• submerging
• immersing
• submersing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of swimming

These include leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can cause flu-like symptoms, which people can contract by swimming in freshwater puddles, ponds, or streams contaminated with animal urine. — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026

In another case, a child contracted it while swimming in Lake Michigan and in yet another, a man was infected while cleaning up sewage. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Per Goldeneye Media, the Walkers are parting with the South Pacific island retreat due to their ongoing divorce but will always cherish memories from camping on the beach to swimming with sea turtles. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 July 2026

The viral post came amid a series of alligator attacks in Florida, including a fatal one in Seminole County during which a 31-year-old Orlando woman swimming in the Little Big Econ State Forest had both her arms bitten off. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026

For people swimming in the Sacramento region’s natural waterways, California State Parks recommends not drinking or swallowing lake or river water and avoiding swimming with open wounds. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

With squid, baitfish, and predators all swimming fast and changing colors in the lights, the underside of the boat must have looked like a rave party. — Matthew Every, Outdoor Life, 8 July 2026

People get it by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, usually when swimming or when eating raw produce. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Then much farther north, a beach was closed to swimming in Maine after a report of two sharks near Reid State Park. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 July 2026