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
as in flapping
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the horse's tail swishes after every jump
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swishing
Verb
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Splinter after splinter flopping onto the stone threshold, tsss, tsss, hissing like a nest of vipers.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025 -
Contractors working on a sewer project on the 4600 block of 10th Avenue at Stockton Boulevard reported hearing a hissing sound coming from a 2-inch gas line, according to authorities.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Manchester United’s Altay Bayindir (6ft 6in) was left flapping at a Declan Rice corner as Riccardo Calafiori nodded home, Raya easily dealt with similar issues later in the game, catching one delivery and punching the other well away from danger.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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These behaviors included; lifting one leg, spinning around on a perch, and flapping their wings on command (Figure 1B).—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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While you guys had staff inside laughing, pointing and even flicking off the crowd outside.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Only on particularly bumpy tarmac did the GTS-spec suspension become too jarring with the adaptive dampers stiffened up in sport mode, but switching them to normal offered the best of both worlds—excellent, composed body control and tuning that ironed out imperfections remarkably well.—
Peter Nelson,
Robb Report,
1 Oct. 2025
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Just before their latest stint on the road, the band swapped drummers with Foo Fighters, switching out Ilan Rubin for Josh Freese.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The degree to which Celine’s bob is bobbing can’t even be measured on a human scale.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
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Sylvester climbed in back, buds in his ears, iPod in hand, his head bobbing to some beat.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Swishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swishing. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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