What does swim mean?
To swim means to propel oneself through water by moving the limbs or body. The word is used both for general activity, as in learning to swim, and for crossing a particular stretch of water, as in swimming a channel. It also has figurative meanings: a person or business may be swimming in money, deeply involved in a demanding situation, or experiencing a spinning sensation caused by dizziness. The related noun names an act or period of swimming, particularly in expressions such as taking a swim. Swim is conventional in British and American English and is easily understood across registers, though its figurative uses often sound more informal. Its Germanic ancestry is reflected in cognates such as German schwimmen and Dutch zwemmen, showing that it belongs to one of English's most widely shared European word families.
To move through water using the limbs or body; figuratively, to be immersed, involved, or experiencing a hazy or spinning sensation.
"They swam across the bay before breakfast."
Transitive use is idiomatic when a distance or route is named: “swim the channel.”
An act or period of swimming.
"She went for a swim before work."
The noun is countable but is much less common than the verb.
The plural is grammatical but uncommon; it usually denotes separate occasions or periods of swimming.
"The children took several swims before lunch."
Step into the water and you are speaking the same ancient Germanic word as German schwimmen and Dutch zwemmen.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does swim come from?
The English word descends from Old English swimman, used for moving through water. It ultimately comes from Proto-Germanic *swimmaną, the ancestor of cognates including German schwimmen, Dutch zwemmen, and Swedish simma. The verb developed the regular English past forms swam and swum, while swimming and swimmer arose directly from the same verbal root.
Related word forms
How swim is actually used
The verb is commonly used intransitively, although transitive constructions such as “swim the channel” are also idiomatic. Figurative uses are especially common in informal speech, while the countable noun is less frequent than the verb.
Easily confused with swim
To swim is to propel oneself through water, whereas to swing is to move in an arc or hang from a fixed point.