swim
v. · n.-
1 to move in water (v.) A1 Beginnerto move through water by moving your arms and legs.
to propel oneself through water by means of bodily movement. Intransitive or transitive when taking a distance or stroke as an object.
ExampleWe like to swim in the ocean during the summer holidays.
ExampleThe athlete managed to swim the entire length of the channel despite the freezing temperatures and strong currents.
PitfallI have swam in that lake before.I have swum in that lake before.The past participle of 'swim' is 'swum', not 'swam'.
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2 to be dizzy (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto feel dizzy or like everything is spinning around you.
to experience a sensation of dizziness or vertigo, often as a result of illness or shock.
ExampleThe room started to swim after I stood up too quickly.
ExampleHis head began to swim as he looked down from the edge of the skyscraper, overwhelmed by a sudden bout of vertigo.
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3 to be covered in liquid (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto be covered or filled with a lot of liquid.
to be immersed in or overflowing with a liquid; often used figuratively to describe abundance.
ExampleThe pasta was swimming in a rich tomato sauce.
ExampleThe small village was swimming in floodwater after the river burst its banks during the storm.
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4 an act of swimming (n.) A2 Elementarya period of time spent swimming for fun or exercise.
an instance or duration of swimming, typically for recreation or fitness.
ExampleA quick swim in the morning always makes me feel awake.
ExampleAfter a long day of hiking, the cool water of the lake provided a refreshing swim for the exhausted group.
From Middle English swymmen, from Old English swimman (“to swim, float”) (class III strong verb; past tense swamm, past participle geswummen), from Proto-West Germanic swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną (“to swim”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem(bʰ)- (“to be unsteady, move, swim”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian sweem, swome, swume, swumi, swumme, swääm (“to swim”), Saterland Frisian and West Frisian swimme (“to swim”), Dutch zwemmen (“to swim”), German schwimmen (“to swim”), Limburgish schwämme, zwömme (“to swim”), Low German swimmen (“to swim”), Luxembourgish schwammen (“to swim”), Vilamovian švymma, śwyma, śwymma (“to swim”), Yiddish שווימען (shvimen, “to swim”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål svømme (“to swim”), Faroese svimja (“to swim”), Norn suma (“to swim”), Norwegian Nynorsk svemja, svemje, svømma, svømme, symja, symje (“to swim”), Swedish simma (“to swim”).
From Middle English swime, sweme, swaime (“a dizziness, swoon, trance”), from Old English swīma (“a swoon, swimming in the head”). Cognate with Swedish svimma (“to swoon, faint”) and Danish svime (“to swoon, faint”) / Danish besvime (“to swoon, faint”).
Abbreviation of someone who isn't me.