swimming

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

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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 Just as often, a crappie will execute an up-bite, approaching and eating the bait with an upward swimming motion, rather than eating and swimming back toward the bottom. Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026 Since the 1970s, patrons have been swimming to shore for cocktails, leaving their dollars waterlogged from the journey but always welcome. Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026 The nations in Southeast Asia, as well as Japan, will soon state their displeasure at having to suffer while their old Yankee friends are swimming in barrels of black gold. Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026 The notation was curiously quaint, dots and curly tails swimming along like so many tadpoles. Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swimming
Verb
  • In New York City over the weekend, police launched an investigation into a massive street takeover in Queens that drew more than 100 vehicles in the early morning hours, with drivers spinning in circles and crowds flooding the intersection.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • In a first look at Kylie Minogue in her intimate Netflix documentary, the Australian pop icon certainly isn’t spinning around.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Over the course of eight and a half hours, a Northern California nurse hopped between bars during a Friday evening while sailing on a Carnival Cruise vacation.
    Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Once tankers, carrying about 20% of the world's oil supply, start sailing through the strait again, jet fuel prices will return to normal — but not immediately.
    Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Large black and yellow bees keep hovering around my wooden pergola.
    Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The average price of gas is hovering at near $4 a gallon for regular.
    Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Los Angeles reservoir that was notoriously empty during the 2025 Palisades fire has been drained once again as crews replace its floating cover, to the dismay of area residents who worry that there won’t be water available to fight wildfires.
    Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The biopic has got other, far more pressing concerns on its mind, like the multitude of dollar signs floating before its eyes.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • How Wisconsin got here Wisconsin keeps on gliding.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026
  • With more than 200 million tons of cargo gliding across their surfaces every year, Neal writes, the Great Lakes are a place of commerce.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • These handsome galoots may cheat on their spouses or worse, but this allows the women to smolder in drifting chiffon.
    Libby Gelman-Waxner, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Fillman and his diving instructor tapped into their survival instincts by dumping their heavy diving gear and tanks and tying themselves together with their remaining gear to prevent them from drifting apart.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swimming. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

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