# swimming

/ˈswɪmɪŋ/ (US) · /swˈɪmɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/swimming
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. the activity or sport

noun · CEFR A1

the activity or sport of moving through water.

For teachers: the act or art of sustaining and propelling the body in water, often for recreation or competition.

- Swimming is a great way to stay fit and cool during the summer.
- The local council invested in the new leisure centre to encourage swimming among the youth population.

Usage: Often functions as an uncountable noun when referring to the sport in general.

### 3. dizziness

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

a feeling that everything is spinning around you.

For teachers: a state of dizziness or vertigo, often used in the phrase 'a swimming in the head'.

- He felt a strange swimming in his head after standing up too quickly.
- The patient complained of a persistent swimming in the head, which the physician attributed to a minor inner-ear infection.

Teaching tip: This sense is rare in modern conversation; learners will almost always encounter 'dizzy' or 'dizziness' instead.

## Examples

- I go swimming every Saturday morning at the local pool.
- Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise because the water supports your body weight while you move.
- The coach emphasized that competitive swimming requires not only cardiovascular endurance but also a refined technical mastery of stroke mechanics and breathing patterns.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.