swab

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: mop
especially : a yarn mop
b(1)
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area
(2)
: a specimen taken with a swab
c
: a sponge or cloth patch attached to a long handle and used to clean the bore of a firearm
2
a
: a useless or contemptible person
b
: sailor, gob

swab

2 of 2

verb

swabbed; swabbing

transitive verb

1
: to clean with or as if with a swab
2
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine

Examples of swab in a Sentence

Noun Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the area. The doctor took a throat swab and sent it to the lab. Verb The nurse swabbed the cut with a disinfectant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
After Gambier sent a swab to Stenton’s coauthor Stephen Fratpietro, who is technical manager at the Paleo-DNA Laboratory at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the team analyzed DNA from Gambier’s Y chromosome, which tracks the male line. Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024 The swab was sent out to forensics for analysis, which returned a DNA profile of an unidentified female but returned no match in law enforcement databases. Doc Louallen, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
Five years later, amid a mounting and mysterious viral outbreak in Wuhan, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention would comb through this stall and many others at the Wuhan market, swabbing surfaces to test for genetic material on Jan. 1 and Jan. 12, 2020. Gabriel Spitzer, NPR, 19 Sep. 2024 It may be pulled aside and tested or swabbed by a TSA agent. Noah Kaufman, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for swab 

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from obsolete Dutch swabbe; akin to Low German swabber mop

Verb

back-formation from swabber

First Known Use

Noun

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swab was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near swab

Cite this Entry

“Swab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swab. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

swab

1 of 2 noun
1
b
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medicine or for removing material (as from a wound)
also : a sample taken with a swab
2
: sailor

swab

2 of 2 verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to use a swab on

Medical Definition

swab

1 of 2 noun
1
: a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used for applying medication or for removing material from an area
2
: a specimen taken with a swab
a throat swab

swab

2 of 2 transitive verb
swabbed; swabbing
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine

More from Merriam-Webster on swab

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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