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View synonyms for

swim

[ swim ]

verb (used without object)

swam swum swimming
  1. to move in water by movements of the limbs, fins, tail, etc.
  2. to float on the surface of water or some other liquid.
  3. to move, rest, or be suspended in air as if swimming in water.
  4. to move, glide, or go smoothly over a surface.
  5. to be immersed or steeped in or overflowing or flooded with a liquid:

    eyes swimming with tears.

  6. to be dizzy or giddy; seem to whirl:

    My head began to swim.



verb (used with object)

swam swum swimming
  1. to move along in or cross (a body of water) by swimming:

    to swim a lake.

  2. to perform (a particular stroke) in swimming:

    to swim a sidestroke.

  3. to cause to swim or float, as on a stream.
  4. to furnish with sufficient water to swim or float.

noun

  1. an act, instance, or period of swimming.
  2. a motion as of swimming; a smooth, gliding movement.

swim

/ ɪ /

verb

  1. intr to move along in water, etc, by means of movements of the body or parts of the body, esp the arms and legs, or (in the case of fish) tail and fins
  2. tr to cover (a distance or stretch of water) in this way
  3. tr to compete in (a race) in this way
  4. intr to be supported by and on a liquid; float
  5. tr to use (a particular stroke) in swimming
  6. intr to move smoothly, usually through air or over a surface
  7. intr to reel or seem to reel

    my head swam

    the room swam around me

  8. intr; often foll by in or with to be covered or flooded with water or other liquid
  9. introften foll byin to be liberally supplied (with)

    he's swimming in money

  10. tr to cause to float or swim
  11. tr to provide (something) with water deep enough to float in
  12. swim against the tide or swim against the stream
    to resist prevailing opinion
  13. swim with the tide or swim with the stream
    to conform to prevailing opinion
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act, an instance, or period of swimming
  2. any graceful gliding motion
  3. a condition of dizziness; swoon
  4. a pool in a river good for fishing
  5. in the swim informal.
    fashionable or active in social or political activities
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈɾԲ, nounadjective
  • ˈɾ, adjective
  • ˈɾ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ɾm· adjective
  • ɾm noun
  • non·ɾm noun
  • dzܳȴɾ verb outswam outswum outswimming
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Word History and Origins

Origin of swim1

First recorded before 900; Middle English swimmen, Old English swimman; cognate with Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen, Old Norse svimma
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Word History and Origins

Origin of swim1

Old English swimman; related to Old Norse svima, German schwimmen, Gothic swumsl pond, Norwegian svamla to paddle
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. in the swim, alert to or actively engaged in events; in the thick of things:

    Despite her age, she is still in the swim.

More idioms and phrases containing swim

  • in the swim
  • sink or swim
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He also mocked his Democratic predecessor's mental agility and even how he appears in a swim suit, while continuing to insist he was the real victor of the 2020 election, which he lost.

From

It is now presumed Ellie picked up the bug swimming in the Amazon river in 2018, while on a trip to Ecuador and Colombia.

From

The SFA rule change will bring it into line with other sports such as rugby, swimming and athletics, which restrict women's competition to players that have not gone through male puberty.

From

The SFA rule change will see the governing body bring football into line with other sports like rugby, swimming and athletics.

From

In 2015 she filled her swimming pool at her New York home with swans to celebrate a win against Manchester United.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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swillswim against the current