Swam Swimming Swim Swɪm I Water Verb Bre

• i can't swim.
• the boys swam across the lake.
• we swam out (= away from land) to the yacht.
• they spent the day swimming and sunbathing.

swim

1. to move through water in a horizontal position using the arms and legs
• I can't swim.
• The boys swam across the lake.
• We swam out (= away from land) to the yacht.
• They spent the day swimming and sunbathing.
• Can you swim backstroke yet?
• How long will it take her to swim the Channel?
• Let’s go for a quick swim in the pool.
• She goes swimming every morning before breakfast.
2. to spend time swimming for pleasure
• I go swimming twice a week.
3. to move through or across water
• A shoal of fish swam past.
• Ducks were swimming around on the river.
4. to be covered with a lot of liquid
• The main course was swimming in oil.
• Her eyes were swimming with tears.
5. to seem to be moving around, especially when you are ill/sick or drunk
• The pages swam before her eyes.
6. to feel confused and/or as if everything is spinning around
• His head swam and he swayed dizzily.
7. to be in a situation where you will either succeed by your own efforts or fail completely
• The new students were just left to sink or swim.

Extra Examples

• A beaver swam vigorously upstream.
• A water vole swam vigorously upstream.
• Exhausted, they swam ashore.
• He can’t swim well.
• She swam back towards the shore.
• We swam out to the boat.
• swimming across the river
• swimming in the sea
• to swim across the river
• to swim in the sea

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they swim
• he / she / it swims
• past simple swam
• past participle swum
• -ing form swimming

Word Origin

• Old English swimman (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zwemmen and German schwimmen.