swish 1 of 3

1
as in whistle
a sound similar to the speech sound \s\ stretched out the steady swish of the windshield wipers

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2
as in flap
a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down the mare brushed away the flies with a sweeping swish of her tail

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swish

2 of 3

verb

1
as in to hiss
to make a sound like that of stretching out the speech sound \s\ with their satin costumes swishing, the little ballerinas chasséd onto the stage

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2

swish

3 of 3

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swish
Noun
Swish swish sounds like it is written by 8 yr old kid or Donald Trump. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 May 2017 In a hurricane, those waves can come in quick, short bursts as powerful thunderstorms around the storm’s eye wall swish air up and down like a plunger in a toilet bowl. Jenny Staletovich, miamiherald, 17 May 2017
Verb
Rinse that head under running water, or better still plunge it into cold water, swish it around, and then grab it back up out of that water. Bon Appétit, 22 Jan. 2025 Fill the whole thing with water, swish the leaves around to remove any sediment and discard the water (or give your houseplants a drink with it). Kayleigh Drake, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Co-produced by Spain’s RTVE and TV3 with Sweden’s SVT, Germany’s NDR and Finland’s YLE, the eight-part comedy is set in a swish upper middle-class community in the placid hills outside Barcelona. Liza Foreman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023 The swish dopp kits, which are filled with the latest skincare products and fragrances, will be provided exclusively to first- and business-class passengers on select routes and long-haul flights. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023 See All Example Sentences for swish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swish
Noun
  • Good safety practices include not overcrowding boats, carrying sound safety devices such as whistles and air horns and requiring all rowers to pass a swimming test.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Then Tyrese Proctor missed a free throw and Cooper Flagg caught an over-the-back whistle on the rebound attempt.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • There is a test laboratory where samples of materials and finished bags are put through their paces, and a repair workshop where a weathered brown bag awaited rescue, its flap chewed by a dog.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The wasps’ strange abdomens each had three flaps with small spikes and trigger hairs, similar to the motion-detecting hairs on a Venus flytrap.
    Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • There can also be behavioral signs, as Purina suggests that an angry cat might hiss, spit, or growl.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • With the customary expressiveness of Bay Area audiences, somebody hissed at the poem.
    Robert Pinsky, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Chelsea captain picked out Mac Allister’s darting run, and the Liverpool midfielder flicked the ball cleverly over a desperate Bento.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Masterminded by hairstylist Peter Burkill, a fair few inches have been eliminated from Brown’s mane, leaving her with a thick and voluminous chin-grazing bob that gently flicks inwards towards the ends.
    Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The exterior layout is stylish and functional that features a massive sundec and a killer beach club that allows guests easy access to the water.
    Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Golf push carts are a stylish and convenient way to tote your clubs around the course with a wide array of features and storage.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Large spoons, whisks, and spatulas drop into removable canisters.
    Jody Garlock, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Duggar was handed a power drill to plug the whisks into.
    Rachel Flynn, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, (Last week: 1) The betting odds have swung massively into Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor with Jokić missing so many games recently with an ankle injury.
    Zach Harper, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Still no timetable on anything, but he’s been able to swing the bat and feel like there’s been some steady improvement day after day.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Whistler elongates the fashionable figures into letter openers, and life into a series of dinner invitations to be sliced open.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
  • For example, one of the male characters in the story named Dingley will wear two vests on top of one other, which Reynoso said was inspired by the early 2000s clothing trend when fashionable young men wore two layered Polo shirts with their collars popped up.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swish. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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