swim

See also: Swim and SWIM

swim - English

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA: /swɪm/

Verb

swim (third-person singular simple present swims, present participle swimming, simple past swam or (archaic) swum, past participle swum)

  1. (intransitive) To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means.
  2. (intransitive) To become immersed in, or as if in, or flooded with, or as if with, a liquid
    • swimming in self-pity
    • a bare few bits of meat swimming in watery sauce
  3. (intransitive) To move around freely because of excess space.
  4. (transitive) To traverse (a specific body of water, or a specific distance) by swimming; or, to utilize a specific swimming stroke; or, to compete in a specific swimming event.
    • For exercise, we like to swim laps around the pool.
    • I want to swim the 200-yard breaststroke in the finals.
  5. (transitive, uncommon) To cause to swim.
    • to swim a horse across a river
    • Half of the guinea pigs were swum daily.
  6. (intransitive, archaic) To float.
    • sink or swim
  7. (intransitive) To be overflowed or drenched.
  8. (transitive) To immerse in water to make the lighter parts float.
    • to swim wheat in order to select seed
  9. (transitive, historical) To test (a suspected witch) by throwing into a river; those who floated rather than sinking were deemed to be witches.
  10. (intransitive) To glide along with a waving motion.

Usage notes

  • In Late Middle English and Early Modern English, the present participle form swimmand still sometimes occurred in Midlands and Northern dialects, for exampleː
    • The water to nourish the fish swimmand. (The Towneley plays)
    • Their young child Troiane, as swift as dolphin fish, swimmand away. (1513, Gavin Douglas, Virgil's Aeneid)

Conjugation

infinitive (to) swim
present tense past tense
1st-person singular swim swam, swum
2nd-person singular swam, swum, swammest
3rd-person singular swims swam, swum
plural swim
subjunctive swim swam, swum
imperative swim
participles swimming, swimmand swum, swum

Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

swim (plural swims)

  1. An act or instance of swimming.
    • I'm going for a swim.
  2. The sound, or air bladder, of a fish.
  3. (UK) A part of a stream much frequented by fish.
  4. A dance move of the 1960s in which the arms are moved in a freestyle swimming manner.

Derived terms

Translations


Noun

swim (plural swims)

  1. A dizziness; swoon.

Verb

swim (third-person singular simple present swims, present participle swimming, simple past swam or (archaic) swum, past participle swum)

  1. (intransitive) To be dizzy or vertiginous; have a giddy sensation; to have, or appear to have, a whirling motion.
    • My head was swimming after drinking two bottles of cheap wine.

Noun

swim (plural not attested)

  1. (Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of someone who isn't me. used as a way to avoid self-designation or self-incrimination, especially in online drug forums
Meaning and Definition of swim
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