Adjacent Words

Swim definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SWIM, v.i.
1. To float; to be supported on water or other fluid; not to sink. Most species of wood will swim in water. Any substance will swim, whose specific gravity is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed.
2. To move progressively in water by means of the motion of the hands and feet, or of fins. In Paris, boys are taught to swim by instructors appointed for that purpose. Isaiah 25.
Leap in with me into this angry flood,
And swim to yonder point.
3. To float; to be borne along by a current. In all states there are men who will swim with the tide of popular opinion.
4. To glide along with a smooth motion, or with a waving motion.
She with pretty and with swimming gait.
A hov'ring mist came swimming o'er his sight.
5. To be dizzy or vertiginous; to have a waving motion of the head or a sensation of that kind, or a reeling of the body. The head swims when we walk on high.
6. To be floated; to be overflowed or drenched; as,the earth swims in rain.
Sudden the ditches swell, the meadows swim.
All the night I make my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Psalms 6.
7. To overflow; to abound; to have abundance.
They now swim in joy.
SWIM, v.t. To pass or move on; as, to swim a stream. Deer are known to swim rivers and sounds.
Sometimes he thought to swim the stormy main.
1. To immerse in water that the lighter parts may swim; as, to swim wheat for seed.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of swimming; "it was the swimming they enjoyed most": "they took a short swim in the pool" [syn: swimming, swim] v
1: travel through water; "We had to swim for 20 minutes to reach the shore"; "a big fish was swimming in the tank"
2: be afloat either on or below a liquid surface and not sink to the bottom [syn: float, swim] [ant: go down, go under, settle, sink]
3: be dizzy or giddy; "my brain is swimming after the bottle of champagne"
4: be covered with or submerged in a liquid; "the meat was swimming in a fatty gravy" [syn: swim, drown]
5: move as if gliding through water; "this snake swims through the soil where it lives"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (swam; swum; swimming) Etymology: Middle English swimmen, from Old English swimman; akin to Old High German swimman to swim Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to propel oneself in water by natural means (as movements of the limbs, fins, or tail) b. to play in the water (as at a beach or swimming pool) 2. to move with a motion like that of swimming ; glide <a cloud swam slowly across the moon> 3. a. to float on a liquid ; not sink b. to surmount difficulties ; not go under <sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish — Daniel Webster> 4. to become immersed in or flooded with or as if with a liquid <potatoes swimming in gravy> 5. to have a floating or reeling appearance or sensation transitive verb 1. a. to cross by propelling oneself through water <swim a stream> b. to execute in swimming 2. to cause to swim or float • swimmer noun II. noun Date: 1599 1. a smooth gliding motion 2. an act or period of swimming 3. a temporary dizziness or unconsciousness 4. a. an area frequented by fish b. the main current of activity <in the swim> III. adjective Date: 1924 of, relating to, or used in or for swimming <a swim meet>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (swimming; past swam; past part. swum) 1 intr. propel the body through water by working the arms and legs, or (of a fish) the fins and tail. 2 tr. a traverse (a stretch of water or its distance) by swimming. b compete in (a race) by swimming. c use (a particular stroke) in swimming. 3 intr. float on or at the surface of a liquid (bubbles swimming on the surface). 4 intr. appear to undulate or reel or whirl. 5 intr. have a dizzy effect or sensation (my head swam). 6 intr. (foll. by in, with) be flooded. --n. 1 a spell or the act of swimming. 2 a deep pool frequented by fish in a river. Phrases and idioms: in the swim involved in or acquainted with what is going on. swim-bladder a gas-filled sac in fishes used to maintain buoyancy. swimming-bath (or -pool) an artificial indoor or outdoor pool for swimming. swimming-costume Brit. a garment worn for swimming. Derivatives: swimmable adj. swimmer n. Etymology: OE swimman f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Swim Swim, n. 1. The act of swimming; a gliding motion, like that of one swimming. --B. Jonson. 2. The sound, or air bladder, of a fish. 3. A part of a stream much frequented by fish. [Eng.] Swim bladder, an air bladder of a fish. To be in the swim, to be in a favored position; to be associated with others in active affairs. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Swim Swim, v. i. [imp. Swamor Swum; p. p. Swum; p. pr. & vb. n. Swimming.] [AS. swimman; akin to D. zwemmen, OHG. swimman, G. schwimmen, Icel. svimma, Dan. sw["o]mme, Sw. simma. Cf. Sound an air bladder, a strait.] 1. To be supported by water or other fluid; not to sink; to float; as, any substance will swim, whose specific gravity is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed. 2. To move progressively in water by means of strokes with the hands and feet, or the fins or the tail. Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point. --Shak. 3. To be overflowed or drenched. --Ps. vi. 6. Sudden the ditches swell, the meadows swim. --Thomson. 4. Fig.: To be as if borne or floating in a fluid. [They] now swim in joy. --Milton. 5. To be filled with swimming animals. [Obs.] [Streams] that swim full of small fishes. --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Swim Swim, v. i. [OE. swime dizziness, vertigo, AS. sw[=i]ma; akin to D. zwijm, Icel. svimi dizziness, svina to subside, sv[=i]a to abate, G. schwindel dizziness, schwinden to disappear, to dwindle, OHG. sw[=i]nan to dwindle. Cf. Squemish, Swindler.] To be dizzy; to have an unsteady or reeling sensation; as, the head swims.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Swim Swim, v. t. 1. To pass or move over or on by swimming; as, to swim a stream. Sometimes he thought to swim the stormy main. --Dryden. 2. To cause or compel to swim; to make to float; as, to swim a horse across a river. 3. To immerse in water that the lighter parts may float; as, to swim wheat in order to select seed.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(swims, swimming, swam, swum) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. When you swim, you move through water by making movements with your arms and legs. She learned to swim when she was really tiny... I went round to Jonathan's to see if he wanted to go swimming... He was rescued only when an exhausted friend swam ashore... I swim a mile a day. VERB: V, V, V adv/prep, V amount/n • Swim is also a noun. When can we go for a swim, Mam? N-SING 2. If you swim a race, you take part in a swimming race. She swam the 400 metres medley ten seconds slower than she did in 1980. VERB: V n 3. If you swim a stretch of water, you keep swimming until you have crossed it. In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first man to swim the English Channel. VERB: V n 4. When a fish swims, it moves through water by moving its body. The barriers are lethal to fish trying to swim upstream. VERB: V adv/prep, also V 5. If objects swim, they seem to be moving backwards and forwards, usually because you are ill. Alexis suddenly could take no more: he felt too hot, he couldn't breathe, the room swam. VERB: V 6. If your head is swimming, you feel unsteady and slightly ill. The musty aroma of incense made her head swim. = spin VERB: V 7. sink or swim: see sink

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Float, be borne up (on a liquid). 2. Be borne along (as on water, by a current), float with the tide. 3. Propel one's self through the water, buffet the waves. 4. Glide, skim. 5. Be flooded, be inundated. 6. Be dizzy (as the head). 7. Overflow, abound, have abundance.

Moby Thesaurus

Australian crawl, aquaplaning, aquatics, backstroke, balneation, bathe, bathing, bon ton, breaststroke, butterfly, convention, crawl, custom, dive, diving, dog paddle, fashion, fin, fishtail, flapper, flipper, float, floating, go in swimming, go in wading, haute couture, high fashion, mode, natation, prevailing taste, proper thing, reel, sidestroke, skinny-dip, stream of fashion, style, surfboarding, surfing, swimming, tread water, treading water, trend, turn, vogue, wade, wading, waterskiing, whirl