swim
verbVerb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they swim | |
| he / she / it swims | |
| past simple swam | |
| past participle swum | |
| -ing form swimming |
- [intransitive, transitive] (of a person or animal)
to move through water by moving your arms and legs, without touching the bottom 游水；游泳 I can't swim. 我不会游泳。 The boys swam across the lake. 男孩子们游到了湖对岸。 We swam out (= away from land) to the yacht. 我们向游艇游去。 They spent the day swimming and sunbathing. 他们整整一天都在游泳和晒太阳。 I've only just learned to swim. 我刚刚学会游泳。 I have always found it easy to swim underwater. 我一直觉得在水下游泳很容易。 They are too far out to swim to shore. 他们离得太远，游不到岸边。 - swim something
Can you swim backstroke yet? 你会仰泳了吗？ How long will it take her to swim the Channel? 她游过英吉利海峡得用多长时间？
Which Word? bath / bathe / swim / sunbathebath / bathe / swim / sunbathe- When you wash yourself you can say that you bath (British English) or bathe (North American English), but it is much more common to say have a bath (British English) or take a bath (North American English).
- You can also bath (British English) or bathe (North American English) another person, for example a baby.
- You bathe a part of your body, especially to clean a wound.
- When you go swimming it is old-fashioned to say that you bathe, and you cannot say that you bath or take a bath. It is more common to use swim, go for a swim, have a swim or go swimming:
Let’s go for a quick swim in the pool. 咱们去游泳池游会儿泳吧。 She goes swimming every morning before breakfast. 她每天早饭前去游泳。
- When you lie in the sun in order to go brown you sunbathe.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: water sportsa1Exhausted, they swam ashore. 他们感到筋疲力尽，于是向岸边游去。 He can't swim well. 他不太会游泳。 to swim in the sea 在大海中游泳
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- strongly
- vigorously
- well
- …
- can
- know how to
- learn (how) to
- …
- across
- in
- to
- …
- go swimming
- [intransitive] go swimming
to spend time swimming for pleasure 游泳（作为娱乐） I go swimming twice a week. 我每星期游泳两次。 We always went swimming together in our indoor pool. 我们总是一起去室内游泳池游泳。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- strongly
- vigorously
- well
- …
- can
- know how to
- learn (how) to
- …
- across
- in
- to
- …
- go swimming
- [intransitive]
(of a fish, etc. 鱼等 to move through or across water 游；游动 Sharks must swim or die. 鲨鱼要么游泳，要么死亡。 - swim + adv./prep.
A shoal of fish swam past. 一群鱼游了过去。 Ducks were swimming around on the river. 鸭子在河面上游来游去。 A beaver swam vigorously upstream. 一只河狸奋力向上游游去。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- strongly
- vigorously
- well
- …
- can
- know how to
- learn (how) to
- …
- across
- in
- to
- …
- go swimming
- [intransitive] (usually be swimming)
to be covered with a lot of liquid 浸；泡；洒满；充溢着 - [intransitive]
(of objects, etc. 物体等 to seem to be moving around, especially when you are ill or drunk 仿佛在旋转，似在晃动（尤指生病或酒醉时的感觉） - [intransitive]
to feel confused and/or as if everything is turning round and round 眩晕；感觉天旋地转
Word OriginOld English swimman (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zwemmen and German schwimmen.
Idioms
sink or swim
to be in a situation where you will either succeed by your own efforts or fail completely 不自救，必沉沦；自己努力，以求生存 The new students were just left to sink or swim. 学校完全让新生自生自灭。 In a situation like this, you either sink or swim. 在这样的情况下不自救必沉沦。