swath

noun

ˈswäth How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯth
variants or swathe
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a weather alert on Thursday afternoon for potentially dangerous thunderstorms across parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, including a large swath of the Upper Mississippi Valley and some surrounding areas. Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025 National Weather Service forecasters in Sacramento Thursday issued a fire weather watch from 8 a.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday across a wide swath of Northern California including Sacramento, Yolo, far western Placer County and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2025 The second stage will involve displacing all of Gaza’s two million residents to a narrow swath of land in the southern Strip. Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 14 May 2025 Chavis told the hard-hitting yet undersized safety to embrace the ethos of a honey badger, which fearlessly takes on venomous cobras and swaths of bees without fear of repercussion. Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for swath

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of swath was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swath. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

swath

noun
ˈswäth How to pronounce swath (audio)
ˈswȯth
variants or swathe
ˈswät͟h How to pronounce swath (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on swath

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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