swishing

present participle of swish
1
as in hissing
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\ with their satin costumes swishing, the little ballerinas chasséd onto the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2

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 swishing But in his own drawing, De Kooning let rip with liner brushes, swishing them about all over the paper, achieving undulant lines that contract and expand like living creatures. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026 One displays images of water swishing around the screen’s golden frame. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Rinse the blueberries under cold running water, gently swishing them around with your hands to ensure all the berries are exposed to water. — Martha Stewart, 3 July 2026 The Western Ghats mountains tumble down the west coast of India like a breaking wave, swishing through six states and across nearly 1,000 miles. — Susan D'arcy, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2026 In other words, avoid swishing seltzers in your mouth, drinking a lot of them or even sipping one throughout the day. — The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026 The Oregon Zoo’s official TikTok account posted footage of a bear swishing around in a tub filled with ice and water, rolling on his back and kicking his feet before shaking water off. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026 The Illinois freshman then spun to his left and hopped back behind the 3-point line, swishing his second 3-pointer of the night. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026 In the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ blowout win against Sacramento, James bounced off the balls of his feet down the court with his unmistakable bow-legged gait after swishing a 3. — Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swishing
Verb
  • Scientists previously created tiny diving suits for Madagascar hissing cockroaches that could be used in perilous search operations, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 3 Sep. 2026
  • But delivering that level of craft in a high-octane room where the hissing espresso machine competes with the bassline?
    — Carly Boers, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That means the bird species flapping around in backyards today are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Real manta rays propel themselves by rhythmically flapping and undulating their enormous pectoral fins.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At one point, while casually flicking the fly rod in his right hand, Tapper listed other California Democrats expected to enter the 2028 race, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The fire had engulfed the garage roof, with flames flicking nearby trees and threatening to spread beyond the garage.
    — Rob Moore, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The problem is that restarting an aircraft factory after 11 years isn’t like switching a machine back on.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • These cortical cells make up only around one percent of the cortex’s inhibitory neurons, and switching them on in a mouse puts the animal to sleep.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At each destination, Eliza kept doing her cinnamon roll dance, bobbing her head and rocking with joy.
    — Sean Carlson, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There's currently no 100-MW Kraaken bobbing offshore, powering 32,000 homes, at least for now.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swishing. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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