swimmer

noun

swim·​mer ˈswi-mər How to pronounce swimmer (audio)
plural swimmers
: a person or animal that swims
a competitive swimmer
a fast/strong swimmer
… he liked to tell us that he had been a powerful swimmer in his youth, but I never saw him in actual water save once, and he then came out very promptly, shivering and upset.—H. L. Mencken
a dog that is an excellent swimmer

Examples of swimmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Four days after Ismail was attacked, 63-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was fatally mauled by a shark. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 Officials are urging anyone spending time near the water to use a life jacket, especially children and inexperienced swimmers. — Brady Halbleib, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 In this project, Si and Fang were interested in investigating how biological swimmers mix materials in fluids where turbulence shows up. — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026 Holly, 26, married Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, 31, in December 2025 after the couple announced their engagement in 2024. — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swimmer

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swimmer was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing swimmer

Rhymes for swimmer

See All Rhymes for swimmer

Browse Nearby Words

swim meet
swimmer
swimmer's ear
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swimmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swimmer. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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