How to Use swab in a Sentence

swab

1 of 2 noun
Definition of swabnext
Synonyms for swabnext
  • The doctor took a throat swab and sent it to the lab.
  • Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the area.
  • Stir the swab in the vial and then apply three drops of the liquid to the test kit.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 25 Jan. 2022
  • Then the swab is joined with a test strip and a liquid reagent.
    — Karen Kaplan Science and Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2021
  • The kit can process a urine sample and a swab of the vaginal area.
    — Benjamin Ryan, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2023
  • Test users swirl the sample swab in a vial, which then goes in a test unit.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2023
  • And my mom kind of pulled me to the side and wiped me down with alcohol swabs.
    — Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023
  • The iHealth Covid-19 kit comes with a nasal swab, solution, and a test card.
    — Brenda Stolyar, Wired, 9 Aug. 2022
  • Police took a swab from him, which matched the 1999 sample.
    — Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al, 15 June 2023
  • At the Embassy Suites, the prospects for passing looked high, even before the swab.
    — Andrea Sachs, Anchorage Daily News, 22 July 2023
  • They are asked to submit a nasal swab and a blood sample from each deer.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2022
  • They were transferred to some chairs outside the ER, where a nurse came out with a swab to test Aaron.
    — Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2022
  • The fodder are young athletes like Zhou whose Olympic dreams end with a nasal swab.
    — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Feb. 2022
  • The process for signing up to be a stem cell plant donor is just a cheek swab that is sent off to a registry.
    — Mike Hutton, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023
  • Dip the swab into the liquid and write a message or draw a picture on the paper.
    — Rachelle Doorley, Parents, 16 Aug. 2023
  • His nasal swab samples were sent to test for Nipah as well.
    — WIRED, 22 Sep. 2023
  • If your provider wants to test for HPV as well, a second or the same swab can be used for this purpose.
    — Elizabeth Boskey, Verywell Health, 27 June 2023
  • The child has a cotton swab in hand and is gently sticking it up his dad’s nose.
    — Erin Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2022
  • LastSwab’s reusable swab takes the place of cotton ones — up to 1,000 of them, according to the brand.
    — Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2022
  • In his suit, Ulis asks that he and a DNA expert be allowed to collect swabs from the spindle.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The swab traverses a dark passage that leads to the nasal cavity.
    — New York Times, 18 Nov. 2021
  • The new skin swab test collects this sebum from patients’ backs.
    — Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
  • The diagnostic gold standard is to culture it in a lab from a swab or to have a blood test.
    — Amy Bennett Williams, USA TODAY, 21 June 2023
  • The test includes a swab, vial and reader to process the test, and uses a mobile app that guides the user through the test-taking process.
    — Eliza Fawcett, courant.com, 19 Nov. 2021
  • Once corralled, the birds will undergo a blood draw, as well as an oral and cloacal swab.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2022
  • All the tables are dressed with brass grills, which a server swabs with a chunk of tallow so the incoming meat doesn’t stick.
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 May 2023
  • The swab is to be taken while Heuermann is in the presence of his attorney, who had opposed it.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2023
  • After the swab, Alan, who had his phone and iPad, told his family that his nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.
    — Tim Carman, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2022
  • 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
  • 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
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swab

2 of 2 verb
  • The nurse swabbed the cut with a disinfectant.
  • Just open the tube, swab your nose, and place the tube in the testing vial.
    — Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Most of the at-home tests still ask you to swab just your nose.
    — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Jan. 2022
  • To keep the beef from sticking, a cube of tallow is swabbed over the grill.
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The over-the-counter test requires consumers to swab the inside of their noses.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2021
  • The bottles were swabbed and the samples sent for testing.
    — Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 14 July 2023
  • People swab themselves and swirl it in a vial that is then placed in a test unit.
    — NBC News, 17 Nov. 2020
  • The team swabbed the rat’s mouth and butt before setting her free.
    — Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
  • For some rapid tests, users can swab themselves at home.
    — Matthew Perrone, Star Tribune, 7 Feb. 2021
  • The man went to his doctor, who swabbed his nose and sent the sample to the CDC, according to the report.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2020
  • To take the test, users will need to self-swab their noses, then ship it back to Everlywell.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2021
  • The only thing the nurses could give him was a frozen cotton swab to put on his tongue.
    — Maggie Menderski, courier-journal.com, 24 Nov. 2020
  • The idea that a person could swab their throat at home for a Covid-19 test isn’t totally out of left field.
    — Sumathi Reddy, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2022
  • For an accurate test, a patient must swab deep in the back of the nose or throat where the virus is most active.
    — Erin Brodwin, STAT, 20 Mar. 2020
  • The test will be a less invasive nasal PCR swab that is painless.
    — Peggy O’Hare, ExpressNews.com, 9 Oct. 2020
  • Hawk will ship swabbing kits to customers, which then go to a third-party lab.
    — Lina Zeldovich/undark, Popular Science, 15 May 2020
  • In that method, students in a class or pod swab their own noses and combine the sample, which is sent out for a PCR test.
    — Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2021
  • In the early weeks of the virus's spread across the state, there were not enough available tests to swab everyone who needed it.
    — Alison Steinbach, The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2020
  • Your health care provider will swab the back of your nose or throat to collect a sample for testing.
    — Allison Duncan, Health.com, 7 Oct. 2020
  • Patients must swab their noses, swirl the sample into a vial, and then wait up to 30 minutes to see the results.
    — Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020
  • The initial core group of 400 students will be required to swab their noses every day for four months.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2021
  • Some testing sites may ask you to swab your nose or cheek yourself, or spit into a tube.
    — Sarah Krouse, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2020
  • Graf said four of the blood stains were swabbed and a presumptive blood test came back positive.
    — Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
  • These steps were repeated with a small cotton swab to get into the inner corners of the eye and around the lash line.
    — Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2022
  • At-home tests, which can be bought through CVS or Walgreens, come with instructions on how to swab the nose or throat.
    — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 17 Sep. 2021
  • Parents must be aware that a negative Covid swab in an ill child isn’t permission to send the child to school.
    — WSJ, 28 Nov. 2021
  • That means people who volunteer to get their nose swabbed will not receive the results of their test.
    — Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 7 Nov. 2023
  • Fully at-home tests, such as those made by Ellume and Abbott, require users to swab their noses and drop the swabs in a liquid.
    — New York Times, 26 Feb. 2021
  • Shortly after delivery, a nurse swabbed each baby’s mouth and body with a gauze soaked either in saline or in the mother’s vaginal fluid.
    — Byclaudia Lopez Lloreda, science.org, 15 June 2023
  • The family decided not to test even when others became sick because of the costs and challenges of swabbing young children, but waited more than 10 days to return to work and day care.
    — Fenit Nirappil, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Aug. 2023

Some of 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.

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