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
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Recent Examples of swishing
My child attended daycare and summer programs at Pillsbury United Communities center just four blocks away, where a multiracial cohort of kids happily play through the winter, swishing around in bulky jackets and snow pants, bouncing towards their parents.
—
Bao Phi, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
In 2020, when Wembanyama was 16, a video of him swishing midrange jumpers against Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot-1 French compatriot and one of the NBA’s top defenders, went viral.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
The Rockets have already started releasing videos of Şengün running pick-and-rolls as the ballhandler and swishing 3-pointers during the first few days of training camp.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Bao Phi, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
In 2020, when Wembanyama was 16, a video of him swishing midrange jumpers against Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot-1 French compatriot and one of the NBA’s top defenders, went viral.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025
The Rockets have already started releasing videos of Şengün running pick-and-rolls as the ballhandler and swishing 3-pointers during the first few days of training camp.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swishing
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Bronx Zoo in New York has revived its annual tradition of naming one of the zoo’s thousands of Madagascar hissing cockroaches for $15.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
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Why Madagascar hissing cockroaches are actually romantic Naming a roach for Valentine’s Day is a great gag, but also these critters are capable of hissing their way into your heart.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The team also discovered that rays using undulatory, wave-like swimming had better ground clearance than those with purely oscillatory, flapping motions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
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For example, malware could send commands to rapidly open and close circuit breakers, a technique known as flapping.—
Saman Zonouz,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Alijah Arenas switched between his forehand shot and backhand, flicking the plastic ball over the net to his opponent, former NBA star Brandon Jennings.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
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While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the Missouri was always a wild river twitching its bed from side to side across its flood plain.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
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Harnessing the camp of countless Drag Race acting challenges that came before her, Jujubee films a close-up reaction to a group of rowdy passengers reprimanding her, escalating the moment until her face is full-on twitching before a physical confrontation.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Here, interior designers share how to use lighting to beat mid-winter blues, which can be as simple as switching out a light bulb.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Consumers are switching to cheaper home brews, alternative drinks or giving up coffee entirely, though some miss the social ritual.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And many of them were side-stepping and bobbing along to a set by DJ Mace, who was also busting moves nonstop, even when the cameras weren't on him.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
6 Feb. 2026
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Meeks and cinematographer Stefan Weinberger pay special attention to the region’s natural beauty, repeating a single shot of a car bobbing over a two-lane highway amid vibrant green hills.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swishing. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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