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
Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
During the game, which the Pacers lost 103-95, fans at TD Garden who fit the qualifications to be donors were encouraged to stop by a section for a cheek swab.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025
Both were swabbed to obtain DNA samples of the animal that bit them.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 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
There are several over-the-counter flu tests available in the United States, and they can be taken at home as a nasal swab, similar to Covid-19 tests.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
During the game, which the Pacers lost 103-95, fans at TD Garden who fit the qualifications to be donors were encouraged to stop by a section for a cheek swab.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Verb
Tate’s hands were swabbed to test for gunshot residue, but those swabs were never tested, the lawsuit said.
—Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 21 Dec. 2025
Both were swabbed to obtain DNA samples of the animal that bit them.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 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 1 Jan. 2026.
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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