swash

1 of 4

verb

ˈswäsh How to pronounce swash (audio)
ˈswȯsh
swashed; swashing; swashes

intransitive verb

1
2
: to make violent noisy movements
3
: to move with a splashing sound

transitive verb

: to cause to splash

swash

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
2
: a narrow channel of water lying within a sandbank or between a sandbank and the shore
3
: a dashing of water against or on something
especially : the rush of water up a beach from a breaking wave

swash

3 of 4

noun (2)

: an extended flourish on a printed character

swash

4 of 4

adjective

: having one or more swashes
swash capitals

Examples of swash in a Sentence

Verb waves gently swashing against the shore every bump in the road swashed a little more of my soda on the car's upholstery
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Other dishes were similarly transcendent: a slab of duck breast was tender and rare, with crisp skin and a dazzling swash of orange sauce. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024 Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow Hourglass’s Scattered Light Eyeshadow is a fun date night accessory thanks to a swash of sparkle that’s easy to apply: just a few dabs of product onto your eyelid, and the pearls will reflect light beautifully. Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 28 Sep. 2023 Some big trout are still in the swash on the beach at dawn, though this action will slow as the water continues to warm—topwaters get them. Frank Sargeant, al, 18 June 2021 Glow Set a travel necessity—perfect for quick makeup touch-ups, passing through TSA, or a shimmering swash of color. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2021 Hollywood’s history is rich with swash-buckling scenes. Allison Prang, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2021 Next in line are those tiny sand crabs that tickle your toes in the swash zone, where waves push up onto the sloping beachfront leaving lines of foam and clumps of oil. Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2021 Next in line are the tiny sand crabs that tickle your toes in the swash zone, where waves push up onto the sloping beachfront leaving lines of foam and clumps of oil. Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2021 Some large sea trout are in the swash channel at dawn—catch them by wading and throwing topwaters like the Rapala Skitter Vee or soft plastics like the Slick Lure. Frank Sargeant, al, 4 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably imitative

Noun (2)

obsolete English swash slanting

First Known Use

Verb

1556, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1683, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1683, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swash was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near swash

Cite this Entry

“Swash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swash. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swash

1 of 2 verb
ˈswäsh How to pronounce swash (audio)
ˈswȯsh
1
2
: to make violent noisy movements
3
: to move with a splashing sound

swash

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: a dashing of water against or upon something
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