swath

American  

[swoth, swawth] / swɒθ, swɔθ /

noun

1. the space covered by the stroke of a scythe or the cut of a mowing machine.

2. the piece or strip so cut.

3. a line or ridge of grass, grain, or the like, cut and thrown together by a scythe or mowing machine.

4. a strip, belt, or long and relatively narrow extent of anything.

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idioms

1. cut a swath, to make a pretentious display; attract notice.

   The new doctor cut a swath in the small community.

swath British  

/ sweɪð, swɔːθ /

noun

1. the width of one sweep of a scythe or of the blade of a mowing machine

2. the strip cut by either of these in one course

3. the quantity of cut grass, hay, or similar crop left in one course of such mowing

4. a long narrow strip or belt

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swath More Idioms  

1. see cut a wide swath.

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Etymology

Origin of swath

before 900; Middle English; Old English swæth footprint; cognate with German Shwade

Explanation

A swath was originally the long narrow space created by a single swing of a scythe in a field of grass or corn as the cutter moved through it. Nowadays it is used more figuratively to mean any kind of path someone makes. The figurative use of swath has nonphysical senses as well, as in the term "a significant swath of the population believes..." Or if someone is trying to attract attention to themselves, or is making quite a public stir, they might be said to be "cutting a swath through the business world" or "cutting a swath on the dance floor." Hopefully, neither of the latter involves using scythes.

Example Sentences

The U.S. budget saw little to no effect from the Supreme Court decision on Feb. 20 to strike down a broad swath of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Each drop has a wide swath of tickets across different sports, sessions and price points, but not every ticket is released at the same time.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Maybe it is natural, then, that a big swath of the most influential podcasters have come forward to offer a solution to those executives’ problems.

From Slate • Apr. 7, 2026

"We analyzed the star for a large swath of elements, and the abundances are quite low for all of them," said Ha Do, another student on the team.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

I kneel before the prioress of St Emilion so that I see only the broad swath of her simple habit edged in green velvet Crossing my arms over my chest I avoid her gaze.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• fodder
• grass