1
a
: mop
especially
: a yarn mop
b(1)
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area
(2)
: a specimen taken with a swab
c
: a sponge or cloth patch attached to a long handle and used to clean the bore of a firearm
swabbed; swabbing
1
: to clean with or as if with a swab
2
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine
Examples of swab in a Sentence
Noun
Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the area.
The doctor took a throat swab and sent it to the lab.
Verb
The nurse swabbed the cut with a disinfectant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to a field sobriety test, pre-arrest test or cheek swab at a DUI checkpoint, according to the Law Offices of Grech and Parker in Riverside.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
Police swabbed dogs for DNA samples and the investigation is ongoing.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swab
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The test, which identifies inactivated X chromosomes to determine an athlete’s chromosomal makeup, was done by a cheek swab.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to a field sobriety test, pre-arrest test or cheek swab at a DUI checkpoint, according to the Law Offices of Grech and Parker in Riverside.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Louise let a specialist swab her body for the man’s DNA.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
Police swabbed dogs for DNA samples and the investigation is ongoing.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swab
Cite this Entry
“Swab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swab. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swab
1 of 2 noun1
b
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medicine or for removing material (as from a wound)
also
: a sample taken with a swab
2
: sailor
swab
2 of 2 verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to use a swab on
Medical Definition
swab
1 of 2 noun1
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used for applying medication or for removing material from an area
2
: a specimen taken with a swab
a throat swab
swab
2 of 2 transitive verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine
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