SWAB (swabbed, swabbing)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: swabbed    , swabbing   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does swab mean? 

• SWAB (noun)
  The noun SWAB has 2 senses:

1. implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion

2. cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors

  Familiarity information: SWAB used as a noun is rare.

• SWAB (verb)
  The verb SWAB has 2 senses:

1. wash with a swab or a mop

2. apply (usually a liquid) to a surface

  Familiarity information: SWAB used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWAB (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("swab" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Derivation:

swab (apply (usually a liquid) to a surface)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

mop; swab; swob

Hypernyms ("swab" is a kind of...):

cleaning device; cleaning equipment; cleaning implement (any of a large class of implements used for cleaning)

Meronyms (parts of "swab"):

mop handle (the handle of a mop)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "swab"):

dry mop; dust mop; dustmop (a dry swab for dusting floors)

sponge mop (a wet mop with a sponge as the absorbent)

Derivation:

swab (wash with a swab or a mop)

• SWAB (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they swab    ... he / she / it swabs   
Past simple: swabbed   
Past participle: swabbed   
-ing form: swabbing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Wash with a swab or a mop

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

swab; swob

Context example:

swab the ship's decks

Hypernyms (to "swab" is one way to...):

mop; mop up; wipe up (to wash or wipe with or as if with a mop)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

swab (cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors)

swabbing (cleaning with a mop)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Apply (usually a liquid) to a surface

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

dab; swab; swob

Context example:

dab the wall with paint

Hypernyms (to "swab" is one way to...):

apply; put on (apply to a surface)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something with something

Sentence example:

They swab the bread with melted butter

Derivation:

swab (implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion)

 Context examples 

“Get outa my galley-doors, you bloomin’ swabs!”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“In my house! Ben, run and help Harry. One of those swabs, was he? Was that you drinking with him, Morgan? Step up here.”

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Investigators also obtained nasal and throat swabs from contacts at the start of the study and every few days for approximately two weeks thereafter to track whether they became infected with influenza virus.

(New study reveals a novel indicator of influenza immunity, National Institutes of Health)

Doctors diagnose cholera with a stool sample or rectal swab.

(Cholera, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

These bacteria were underrepresented in the C-section–delivered infants that weren’t swabbed with vaginal fluids.

(Restoring microbes in infants born by cesarean section, NIH)

Other examples include aluminum foil packets into which alcohol swabs and pledgets are placed.

(Packet, NCI Thesaurus)

"It's not for a deck-swab like him to put on airs," Mr. Higginbotham snorted.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Swiping a cotton swab around the capsaicin patch consistently caused control participants to feel pain, which allowed each one to correctly identify where the inflammation was even though they could not see their arms.

(Study identifies gene that makes gentle touch feel painful after injury, National Institutes of Health)

No, I don't know the name, not I. Yet I kind of think I've—yes, I've seen the swab.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The newborn was then swabbed with the gauze within the first 1–3 minutes after birth, starting with the mouth, then the face, and then the rest of the body.

(Restoring microbes in infants born by cesarean section, NIH)