(~s, ~ming, swam, swum)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
When you ~, you move through water by making movements with your arms and legs.
She learned to ~ when she was really tiny...
I went round to Jonathan’s to see if he wanted to go ~ming...
He was rescued only when an exhausted friend swam ashore...
I ~ a mile a day.
VERB: V, V, V adv/prep, V amount/n
•
Swim is also a noun.
When can we go for a ~, Mam?
N-SING
2.
If you ~ a race, you take part in a ~ming race.
She swam the 400 metres medley ten seconds slower than she did in 1980.
VERB: V n
3.
If you ~ a stretch of water, you keep ~ming until you have crossed it.
In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first man to ~ the English Channel.
VERB: V n
4.
When a fish ~s, it moves through water by moving its body.
The barriers are lethal to fish trying to ~ upstream.
VERB: V adv/prep, also V
5.
If objects ~, they seem to be moving backwards and forwards, usually because you are ill.
Alexis suddenly could take no more: he felt too hot, he couldn’t breathe, the room swam.
VERB: V
6.
If your head is ~ming, you feel unsteady and slightly ill.
The musty aroma of incense made her head ~.
= spin
VERB: V
7.
sink or ~: see sink