Swim - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT swim /swɪm/ /swɪm/ IPA guide

Other forms: swimming; swam; swims; swum

When you move yourself through the water using your arms and legs, you swim. If you live near the ocean, it's probably a good idea to learn how to swim.

You might decide to swim across the English Channel, or, if you're a little less adventurous, just swim in your town's swimming pool. When things appear to be submerged as if underwater, they swim too: "I like it when the mashed potatoes swim in gravy." And when something appears fuzzy or whirling, it also seems to swim: "I was so tired the equations on the chalkboard began to swim." The root of swim means "to be in motion."

Definitions of swim

verb travel through water “We had to swim for 20 minutes to reach the shore” “a big fish was swimming in the tank” see moresee less types: show 11 types... hide 11 types... school swim in or form a large group of fish break water, fin show the fins above the water while swimming fin propel oneself through the water in a finning motion paddle swim like a dog in shallow water crawl swim by doing the crawl breaststroke swim with the face down and extend the arms forward and outward while kicking with the leg backstroke swim on one's back skinny-dip bathe in the nude dive swim under water skin-dive swim underwater with no breathing apparatus other than a snorkel snorkel dive with a snorkel type of: go, locomote, move, travel change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
verb move as if gliding through water “this snake swims through the soil where it lives” see moresee less type of: go, locomote, move, travel change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
verb be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom synonyms: float float move lightly, as if suspended float set afloat see moresee less types: buoy float on the surface of water type of: go, locomote, move, travel change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
verb be covered with or submerged in a liquid “the meat was swimming in a fatty gravy” synonyms: drown see moresee less type of: be have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
verb be dizzy or giddy synonyms: reel see moresee less type of: be have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
noun the act of swimming “"it was the swimming they enjoyed most": "they took a short swim in the pool” synonyms: swimming see moresee less types: show 16 types... hide 16 types... bathe the act of swimming skinny-dip a naked swim dip, plunge a brief swim in water dive, diving a headlong plunge into water floating, natation the act of someone who floats on the water skin diving, skin-dive underwater swimming without any more breathing equipment than a snorkel dead-man's float, prone float a floating position with the face down and arms stretched forward belly flop, belly flopper, belly whop, belly whopper a dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water cliff diving diving into the water from a steep overhanging cliff flip a dive in which the diver somersaults before entering the water full gainer, gainer a dive in which the diver throws the feet forward to complete a full backward somersault and enters the water feet first and facing away from the diving board half gainer a dive in which the diver throws the feet forward and up to complete a half backward somersault and enters the water facing the diving board jackknife a dive in which the diver bends to touch the ankles before straightening out swallow dive, swan dive a dive in which the diver arches the back with arms outstretched before entering the water scuba diving skin diving with scuba apparatus snorkel diving, snorkeling skin diving with a snorkel type of: aquatics, water sport sports that involve bodies of water

Pronunciation US /swɪm/ UK /swɪm/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘swim'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing swim

Words with Two Past-Tense Forms That Creeped (or Crept) into English

Sometimes you know a word has two forms, but you 're not sure which one is appropriate to use in the situation at hand. This happens a lot with verbs, where past-tense forms can compete for acceptance and supremacy with language users. Here are 15 verbs whose past tense can be confusing, along with some tidbits about their history and related linguistic phenomena.

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