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
Nicole Gregory, Orange County Register, 19 Nov. 2024
These tests used a much gentler and less invasive nasal swab and could also be done by anyone, anytime and in their own home.
—Julie Sullivan, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2024
Jess Craig, Vox, 1 Oct. 2024
That’s why your health care provider will likely swab the inside of your nose to check for signs of the virus (and rule out something else, such as the flu), infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells SELF.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for swab 
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Anyone can be part of a bone marrow registry by simply donating a swab of saliva taken from the inside of the mouth for a DNA sample.
—Nicole Gregory, Orange County Register, 19 Nov. 2024
These tests used a much gentler and less invasive nasal swab and could also be done by anyone, anytime and in their own home.
—Julie Sullivan, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2024
Verb
In March, doctors swabbed the infection and sent samples to a nearby laboratory.
—Jess Craig, Vox, 1 Oct. 2024
That’s why your health care provider will likely swab the inside of your nose to check for signs of the virus (and rule out something else, such as the flu), infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells SELF.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2024
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 28 Nov. 2024.
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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