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
swabbed; swabbing
1
: to clean with or as if with a swab
2
: to apply medication to with a swab
swabbed the wound with iodine
Synonyms
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
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Nearly 75% of swab samples taken from fitness equipment such as dumbbells, treadmills and exercise mats tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health.
—Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025
Alice Park, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
Zoom in: One of the citizens who swabbed for DNA was Al Bammann of Portal, Arizona near the Chiricahua Mountains.
—Jessica Boehm, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for swab 
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Noun
Indeed, since the H5N1 outbreak began, researchers have noted that swabs taken from one place in a person or cat’s body, such as the nasal passage, can be negative, while taken from another part, such as the back of the throat, can test positive.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Nearly 75% of swab samples taken from fitness equipment such as dumbbells, treadmills and exercise mats tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health.
—Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
The Louisiana man was swabbed for samples of the virus in his nose and throat before his death.
—Alice Park, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
Zoom in: One of the citizens who swabbed for DNA was Al Bammann of Portal, Arizona near the Chiricahua Mountains.
—Jessica Boehm, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for swab
Dictionary Entries Near swab
Cite this Entry
“Swab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swab. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swab
1 of 2 noun1
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 noun1
: 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
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