swathe

¹ American  

[swoth, sweyth] / swɒð, sweɪð /

verb (used with object)

swathed, swathing

1. to wrap, bind, or swaddle with bands of some material; wrap up closely or fully.

2. to bandage.

3. to enfold or envelop, as wrappings do.

4. to wrap (cloth, rope, etc.) around something.

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noun

1. a band of linen or the like in which something is wrapped; wrapping; bandage.

swathe ² American  

[swoth, sweyth] / swɒð, sweɪð /

noun

1. swath.

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swathe British  

/ sweɪð /

verb

1. to bandage (a wound, limb, etc), esp completely

2. to wrap a band, garment, etc, around, esp so as to cover completely; swaddle

3. to envelop

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noun

1. a bandage or wrapping

2. a variant spelling of swath

Other Word Forms

• swathable adjective

Etymology

Origin of swathe

before 1050; (noun) Middle English; Old English *swæth or *swath (in swathum dative plural); swaddle; (v.) Middle English swathen, late Old English swathian, derivative of the noun; cognate with Old Norse svatha

Explanation

When you swathe yourself in a blanket, you are wrapping or swaddling yourself up in it. Swathe a baby up and you're creating a little cocoon where she can sleep. Sometimes spelled "swath," swathe is commonly used to talk about how you wrap up a baby in a soft blanket. The verb can also refer to binding a wound with bandages; as a noun, a swathe is a long strip or bandage to protect a wound. Swathe derives from an Old English word, swaþian, which means "to wrap."

Example Sentences

Tens of thousands of people have left Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city and a broad swathe of the south.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

In the longer run, it could affect a broader swathe of the stock market—and even hurt the U.S. chip makers that still have a technological edge over everyone else.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

The incident came as a dangerous winter storm barrelled across a large swathe of the US, killing several people and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

The Sirius patrol, tasked with defending a huge, largely uninhabited swathe of the island in the northeast measuring 972,000 square km, travels across the ice by dogsled.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

The sea, visible ahead of her in a gray swathe only a few shades darker than the sky, moved in giant, undulating swells.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• bandage
• clothe
• swaddle
• wrap