swath

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈswäth How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯth
variants or swathe
ˈswät͟h How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯt͟h, 
ˈswāt͟h How to pronounce swath (audio)
Synonyms of swath
1
a
: a row of cut grain or grass left by a scythe or mowing machine
b
: the sweep of a scythe or a machine in mowing or the path cut in one course
2
: a long broad strip or belt
3
: a stroke of or as if of a scythe
4
: a space devastated as if by a scythe

swath

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈswät͟h How to pronounce swath (audio) ˈswäth How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯt͟h, 
ˈswȯth

variant of swathe entry 1

1
: a band used in swathing
2
: an enveloping medium

Examples of swath in a Sentence

Noun (1) An aerial view of the countryside shows wide swathes of green. He cut a swath through the field with his scythe.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
But sitting on vast swaths of land for years and building very little has earned him some criticism. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 The blaze sparked evacuation orders for the Encinal Canyon area near Trancas Canyon and put a larger swath of Malibu under an evacuation warning. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Ukrainians awoke on Wednesday to find that their military had been restricted in its use of Starshield, the American satellite service undergirding swaths of the nation’s defensive infrastructure and weaponry. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 Large swaths of California are expected to see fire weather starting Thursday and thousands of people could lose power as utilities try not to spark wildfires during hot and windy conditions expected to last through Saturday. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swath

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English swæth footstep, trace; akin to Middle High German swade swath

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of swath was in the 14th century

Rhymes for swath

See All Rhymes for swath

Browse Nearby Words

swatch
swath
swathboard
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swath. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

swath

noun
ˈswäth How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯth
variants or swathe
ˈswät͟h How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯt͟h, 
ˈswāt͟h
1
a
: the sweep of a scythe or machine in mowing or the path cut in one course
b
: a row of cut grain or grass
2
: a long broad strip or belt
3
: a space destroyed as if by a mowing machine

More from Merriam-Webster on swath

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for swath

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All