swam

Definition of swamnext
past tense of swim
1
as in spun
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around his head was swimming after he was given so much information on his first day at the new job

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2
as in hovered
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air there appeared to be an oily film swimming on the water

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swam Last week, a 13-year-old boy swam for hours to shore to get help for his mother and siblings after the family was swept out to sea. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026 Owen also swam on the winning 200 medley and 400 free relay teams. Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Just two weeks ago, a coyote apparently swam across the bay to Alcatraz Island. Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026 The pool was installed during the Administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who swam to maintain his strength after his paralysis. Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026 The coyote likely swam over a mile to get there. Amanda Hari, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026 Prior to March 2020, guests at La Selva swam in the lagoon. Noah Lederman, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2026 Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker swam past Eagles center Cam Jurgens to help force a 2-yard loss. Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026 An avid runner, Enslin, 48, also has swam regularly at the state park since 1977. Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
Verb
  • The Ram spun back onto the road and toward the Altima as it was being driven west on Route 2, state police said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
  • On the 5th hole, a 110-yard Par 3, Shipley spun a wedge shot past the pin and watched the ball roll back into the hole, the first ever ace since the league launched last year.
    Mike Darnay, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As a helicopter hovered overhead and legal observers blew whistles, the center went into a lockdown that lasted three hours that day, and then did the same for four hours the next day when ICE circled again.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The labor market has slowed in recent months, while inflation has hovered above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2%.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The couple sailed to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas specifically to visit Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, which opened in December.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Her skis sailed out from under her.
    Will Graves, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In Tennyson’s youth, geologists amassed evidence in support of the proposition, first floated in the previous century, that the age of the earth was not measurable in the familiar and Biblically sanctioned sum of thousands of years but, rather, in untold billions.
    Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
  • He was drilled by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon on his second interception as Witherspoon hit Maye’s arm and the ball floated out of his hands and right to Nwosu, who had nothing but open field in front of him.
    Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The system was able to consistently track how these icebergs split, drifted, and melted over time.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The man's pickup truck drifted over the centerline and struck a school bus head-on.
    Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swam. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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