swam

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 More recently, a mother humpback and her calf swam into the Delta in 2007. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Despite the damage, no one was injured, and the whale quickly swam away. — Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 More recently, Bushby swam about 184 miles across the Caspian Sea before continuing west toward Europe. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 When an apparently sick one swam ashore in Orange County in September, a beachgoer used a palm frond to lift it off the sand and drop it in the sea. — Daniel Trotta, Arkansas Online, 9 Oct. 2026 That includes a robotic ray driven by light-sensitive rat heart cells in 2016 and a fish robot with human heart cells that swam on its own in 2022. — New Atlas, 3 Oct. 2026 The crews gave up hours later after the shark repeatedly swam past or dived to avoid the boats, remaining inside the canal. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 During a July visit by the Tribune, four whales from Marineland swam alongside each other and played in an expansive tank. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 The cast swam in the ocean every day; Buckley and O’Connor hiked the volcano every morning. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swam
  1. spun
  2. hovered
  3. sailed
  4. floated
  5. drifted
Verb
  • The car spun counter-clockwise and overturned, stopping on its roof.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Trouble for Modified Gravity Several independent experts buy the tale spun by Keim and his colleagues.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • However, the unheated pool in Staten Island instead felt bone-chilling in the early May temperatures, which hovered at a low 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The cost of Brent crude, the international standard, has hovered around $99 on Wednesday.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • Henderson picked it up and sailed a throw to first, allowing the tying run to score.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • More than five centuries ago, the son of a wool weaver from Genoa sailed westward to widen the boundaries of the known world.
    — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sailed
Verb
  • Zacharia was not as well known to the press corps compared to other candidates whose names were floated for press secretary following the departure of Karoline Leavitt in August.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Brandon Jones floated to his right, then realized what was happening a quarter of a football field away.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of floated
Verb
  • In a statement to CBS Colorado, the FAA said that a safety risk assessment identified incidents in which aircraft drifted toward other planes departing at the same time on parallel runways.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of drifted

Browse Nearby Words

swallows
swam
swami
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Cite this Entry

“Swam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swam. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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