swim
Americanverb (used without object)
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to move in water by movements of the limbs, fins, tail, etc.
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to float on the surface of water or some other liquid.
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to move, rest, or be suspended in air as if swimming in water.
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to move, glide, or go smoothly over a surface.
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to be immersed or steeped in or overflowing or flooded with a liquid.
eyes swimming with tears.
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to be dizzy or giddy; seem to whirl.
My head began to swim.
verb (used with object)
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to move along in or cross (a body of water) by swimming.
to swim a lake.
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to perform (a particular stroke) in swimming.
to swim a sidestroke.
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to cause to swim or float, as on a stream.
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to furnish with sufficient water to swim or float.
noun
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an act, instance, or period of swimming.
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a motion as of swimming; a smooth, gliding movement.
idioms
verb
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(intr) to move along in water, etc, by means of movements of the body or parts of the body, esp the arms and legs, or (in the case of fish) tail and fins
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(tr) to cover (a distance or stretch of water) in this way
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(tr) to compete in (a race) in this way
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(intr) to be supported by and on a liquid; float
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(tr) to use (a particular stroke) in swimming
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(intr) to move smoothly, usually through air or over a surface
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(intr) to reel or seem to reel
my head swam
the room swam around me
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(intr; often foll by in or with) to be covered or flooded with water or other liquid
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to be liberally supplied (with)
he's swimming in money
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(tr) to cause to float or swim
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(tr) to provide (something) with water deep enough to float in
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to resist prevailing opinion
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to conform to prevailing opinion
noun
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the act, an instance, or period of swimming
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any graceful gliding motion
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a condition of dizziness; swoon
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a pool in a river good for fishing
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informal fashionable or active in social or political activities
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swimsimple
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swimssimple
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have swumperfect
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has swumperfect
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am swimmingprogressive
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are swimmingprogressive
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is swimmingprogressive
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have been swimmingperfect progressive
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has been swimmingperfect progressive
Past
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swamsimple
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had swumperfect
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was swimmingprogressive
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were swimmingprogressive
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had been swimmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swim
First recorded before 900; Middle English swimmen, Old English swimman; cognate with Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen, Old Norse svimma
Explanation
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."
Vocabulary lists containing swim
Words with Two Past-Tense Forms That Creeped (or Crept) into English
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Words to Know and Academic Words, Unit 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Officials are required by the state constitution to let the public swim, fish and collect seaweed along the state’s 400 miles of coastline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Zhou, the villager from Renhe, said she had asked a friend to swim through the floodwaters to check on her relatives.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Dive into our curated guide to the city’s top affordable public pools, community swim centers and splash zones for sport and play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Ms. Fash now divides her time between Rockaway and Rincón, Puerto Rico, so that she can swim in the ocean every day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
For as long as she could remember, Chica had been the only turtle to swim out of the sea, back to this beach where she was hatched, to lay her own eggs.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
But it’s equally easy to sidestep that scene entirely and disappear into the gentler world of farm stands, lake swims and small-town New England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Stunning biologists, a lone coyote swims to Alcatraz.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Chicago-born Leo, the first American pope, is a sports fan, enjoying baseball and basketball, while he swims and plays tennis regularly at the papal out-of-town residence, Castel Gandolfo.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
Organisers of some Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall had postponed or cancelled events due to a yellow weather warning for wind.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Madge walks over to Finway, who swims to the top of his glass world, eager for flakes.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
"We cycled to the beach, swam in the Baltic and tried restaurants they recommended."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Last July, a North Korean civilian tied plastic foam to his body for buoyancy and swam down the Korean Peninsula’s west coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
A pair of humpback whales swam record-breaking journeys between the eastern shores of Australia and breeding grounds in Brazil, research published on Wednesday found.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Several of the riders abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, including one person who jumped over a fence, went into the water and swam away.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Natalie swam for the houses on the far side of the street, but Reuben pushed her back.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Their holy grail, which Mr. Ballard calls “one of the most rare, difficult, and dangerous athletic feats on the planet,” is the Ice Mile, swum in water 41 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
A humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said Friday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
The feast has even swum its way into pop culture.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
I had never swum anything close to eight miles before, and the reasons for trying exceed the scope of this essay.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2024
The guide walked them to Space Mountain and the Runaway Train and Splash Mountain, where Benji got so wet, he might as well have swum through it.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
A father who died after helping two children in difficulties swimming off the coast of Teesside has been named locally as Wayne Taylor.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Outside, there is a large swimming pool and mature trees provide exceptional privacy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Where the U.S. scored the opening goal,” Demoff said, “is going to be the middle of the Olympic swimming pool. I think that contrast blows people’s minds. It certainly blows mine.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
But satellite imagery analysts have identified Kim’s luxury residences populated with superyachts, equestrian tracks and Olympic-size swimming pools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
There was another surprise when I dived underwater because Star joined me again, swimming as expertly as she did above the surface.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
