swath

noun

ˈswäth 

ˈswȯth

variants or swathe

ˈswät͟h 

ˈswȯt͟h,

ˈswāt͟h 

1

a

: a row of cut grain or grass left by a scythe or mowing machine

b

: the sweep of a scythe or a machine in mowing or the path cut in one course

2

: a long broad strip or belt

3

: a stroke of or as if of a scythe

4

: a space devastated as if by a scythe

Examples of swath in a Sentence

An aerial view of the countryside shows wide swathes of green.

He cut a swath through the field with his scythe.

Recent Examples on the Web

At first pitch, there were swaths of empty seats in the lower level, and entire sections nearly empty in the top deck. —Sam Blum, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

The military claims control of swaths of Sudan but almost all of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, is held by the RSF, which also retains footholds in the neighboring states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, according to a map released by the SAF. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025

And over the past few years, swaths of super luxury hotels have rolled the dice on this destination, including the brand-new Raffles at Galaxy Macau. —Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2025

The Trump administration has threatened a swath of new tariffs on major trading partners starting early April. —Eunice Yoon,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English swæth footstep, trace; akin to Middle High German swade swath

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for swath

• broth
• cloth
• doth
• froth
• goth
• loth
• moth
• wroth
• broadcloth
• cheesecloth
• loincloth
• neckcloth

Kids Definition

swath

noun

ˈswäth 

ˈswȯth

variants or swathe

ˈswät͟h 

ˈswȯt͟h,

ˈswāt͟h

1

a

: the sweep of a scythe or machine in mowing or the path cut in one course

b

: a row of cut grain or grass

2

: a long broad strip or belt

3

: a space destroyed as if by a mowing machine