verb

swim

swihm

verb

To move through water by moving the arms, legs, fins, or tail.

"The kids learned to swim at the local pool."

"A shoal of fish swam past the divers."

To feel dizzy, or to seem to spin.

"Her head swam after standing up too quickly."

noun

An instance of swimming.

"They went for a swim before breakfast."

How to Use Swim

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo propel yourself through water, or (less commonly) to feel dizzy; also a noun for a session of swimming.

Common pairings

go for a swim swim laps in the swim of things

Word Forms

swam past tense, swum past tense, swam past tense, swum past tense, swim plural, swam plural, swum plural, swims plural, swims plural, Swims plural, swims singular, swim singular, swam singular, swum singular, swammest singular, swims singular

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The kids learned to _____ at the local pool.

Etymology

From Old English swimman, "to swim or float" — an ancient Germanic verb shared, in some form, by nearly every northern European language.