1
a
: mop
especially
: a yarn mop
b(1)
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area
(2)
: a specimen taken with a swab
c
: a sponge or cloth patch attached to a long handle and used to clean the bore of a firearm
swabbed; swabbing
1
: to clean with or as if with a swab
2
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine
Synonyms
Examples of swab in a Sentence
Noun
Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the area.
The doctor took a throat swab and sent it to the lab.
Verb
The nurse swabbed the cut with a disinfectant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
Milk and nasal swab samples from sick cattle on at least two dairy farms in Texas and two in Kansas have tested positive for bird flu, according to federal and state officials.
—Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Testing for pertussis is available through a physician’s office — either by an evaluation or through a nasal swab test.
—Keri Brenner, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The exact type of test depends on the potential infection: For most viral infections, including HIV, a blood test is necessary, but for most bacterial infections or viral infections that can cause lesions—for instance, herpes—either a urine test or a swab of the affected area can be used.
—Mara Santilli, SELF, 26 Mar. 2024
As of Monday, the highly contagious pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) had been found in unpasteurized clinical samples of milk from ill cows at two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, plus a swab from a dairy cow in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in a news release.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
In June, the lab returned results saying the swab from the crust matched a hair found where the women's bodies were discovered.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to field sobriety tests, pre-arrest breath tests, or cheek swabs at a DUI checkpoint, according to Shouse California Law Group.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 9 Feb. 2024
Tools commonly left behind included surgical swabs, clamps, drill bits, scalpels, and, in one case, even part of a pair of wire cutters.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2024
Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
These tests can include chest X-rays, swabbing the inside of the mouth or nose, pulse oximetry to detect levels of oxygen and blood tests.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 7 Apr. 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program asks arriving international passengers to volunteer to have their noses swabbed and answer questions about their travel.
—Mike Stobbe, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Most primary healthcare providers, dermatologists, and even some urgent care centers know how to swab for mpox, Zheng said.
—Claire Wolters, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2024
Online, some people are suggesting that swabbing your stool can lead to more accurate COVID test results.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 6 Feb. 2024
Worried users even used home lead tests to swab their Stanleys for the metal, some sharing positive results online.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2024
These sorts of tests are Antigen tests that involve swabbing the inside of the nostril and then placing the swab in a liquid solution which is used on a test strip.
—The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2024
The tests involve swabbing the armpits and the groin, which are oily parts of skin that the fungus likes to colonize.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2024
Noun
Share [Findings] Skin swabs are three times as accurate as fecal samples at predicting a person’s age.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
Milk and nasal swab samples from sick cattle on at least two dairy farms in Texas and two in Kansas have tested positive for bird flu, according to federal and state officials.
—Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Testing for pertussis is available through a physician’s office — either by an evaluation or through a nasal swab test.
—Keri Brenner, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The exact type of test depends on the potential infection: For most viral infections, including HIV, a blood test is necessary, but for most bacterial infections or viral infections that can cause lesions—for instance, herpes—either a urine test or a swab of the affected area can be used.
—Mara Santilli, SELF, 26 Mar. 2024
As of Monday, the highly contagious pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) had been found in unpasteurized clinical samples of milk from ill cows at two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, plus a swab from a dairy cow in Texas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in a news release.
—USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
In June, the lab returned results saying the swab from the crust matched a hair found where the women's bodies were discovered.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to field sobriety tests, pre-arrest breath tests, or cheek swabs at a DUI checkpoint, according to Shouse California Law Group.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 9 Feb. 2024
Tools commonly left behind included surgical swabs, clamps, drill bits, scalpels, and, in one case, even part of a pair of wire cutters.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2024
Verb
In one study, published in 2013, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh swabbed the noses and mouths of people sick with the flu.
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
These tests can include chest X-rays, swabbing the inside of the mouth or nose, pulse oximetry to detect levels of oxygen and blood tests.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 7 Apr. 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program asks arriving international passengers to volunteer to have their noses swabbed and answer questions about their travel.
—Mike Stobbe, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Most primary healthcare providers, dermatologists, and even some urgent care centers know how to swab for mpox, Zheng said.
—Claire Wolters, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2024
Online, some people are suggesting that swabbing your stool can lead to more accurate COVID test results.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 6 Feb. 2024
Worried users even used home lead tests to swab their Stanleys for the metal, some sharing positive results online.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2024
These sorts of tests are Antigen tests that involve swabbing the inside of the nostril and then placing the swab in a liquid solution which is used on a test strip.
—The Arizona Republic, 10 Feb. 2024
The tests involve swabbing the armpits and the groin, which are oily parts of skin that the fungus likes to colonize.
—Aria Bendix, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near swab
Cite this Entry
“Swab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swab. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swab
1 of 2 noun1
b
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medicine or for removing material (as from a wound)
also
: a sample taken with a swab
2
: sailor
swab
2 of 2 verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to use a swab on
Medical Definition
swab
1 of 2 noun1
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used for applying medication or for removing material from an area
2
: a specimen taken with a swab
a throat swab
swab
2 of 2 transitive verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine
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