swab
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
swahbIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈswɑb
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
medicine
A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.
A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material).
A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
A mop, especially on a ship.
verb
Wash with a swab or a mop
transitive
To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.