1405
sweat
'swap, meet n AmE a gathering where people buy and sell or exchange used goods
SWAPO /'swɒpəʊ/ abbrev. for the South-West Africa People's Organization; a political party which is the party of government in Namibia (formerly called South West Africa). When Namibia finally gained its independence from South Africa, SWAPO won the first free elections there in 1989, and won power again in the 1994 and 1999 elections.
sward /swɔːd||swɔːrd/ n old use or lit a stretch of grassy land; GREENSWARD
swarf /swɒːf||swɔːrf/ n [U] small bits of metal, plastic etc, produced by a cutting tool in operation
swarm /swɔːm||swɔːrm/ n
[C+sing/pl. v] 1 a large group of insects moving in a mass, especially bees with a QUEEN 2 [(of)] also swarms pl.
— a moving crowd of people or mass of animals: Swarms of tourists jostled through the square.
swarm² v [I] 1 [+adv/prep] to move in a crowd or mass: As the fire spread, people came swarming out of the building. | The photographers swarmed round her. 2 (of bees) to leave a HIVE (=place where bees live) in a swarm to find another home
swarm with sbdy./sthg. phr v [T no pass.] to be full of (a moving crowd of people or animals): The place was swarming with tourists.
swarm³ v [+adv/prep] rare to climb using the hands and feet: He swarmed up the tree. | She swarmed down the rope.
swar-thy /'swɔːði||-ɔːr-/ adj (of a person or their skin) rather dark-coloured
swash-buck-ling /'swɒʃbʌkəlɪŋ||'swɑːʃ-, 'swɔː-/ adj like or about daring men who are fond of adventures, sword fighting etc: a swashbuckling pirate film starring Errol Flynn
swas-ti-ka /'swɒstɪkə||'swɑː-/ n an ancient sign consisting of a cross with each arm bent at a right angle, used in the 20th century as a sign for the Nazi Party
swat¹ /swɒt||swɑːt/ v -tt- [T] to hit (an insect) with a flat object or hand, especially to kill it
swat² n 1 an act of swatting 2 a flat object with a handle for killing flies; FLYSWATTER
swatch /swɒtʃ||swɑːtʃ/ n a piece (of cloth) as an example of a type or quality of material; SAMPLE
Swatch trademark a type of watch made by a Swiss company, often made of brightly coloured plastic
swath /swɒθ||swɑːθ/ also swathe n 1 a line or area of grass or crops that has been cut by a machine or a SCYTHE (=a grass-cutting tool) 2 any large area of a particular type: Acid rain is now affecting great swaths of Western Europe. → see also cut a swath through (CUT)
swathe /sweɪð||swɑːð, swɔːð, sweɪð/ v
swathe sthg./sbdy. in sthg. phr v [T usually pass.] especially lit or fml to wrap round in cloth: His head was swathed in bandages. | (fig.) hills swathed in mist
SWAT team /'swɒt tiːm||'swɑːt-/ n a special group of officers in the US police, who are trained to use weapons and to deal with dangerous criminals and TERRORISTS. The name stands for 'Special Weapons and Tactics'.
swat-ter /'swɒtə||'swɑːt-/ n an instrument for killing flies; SWAT
sway¹ /sweɪ/ v 1 [I;T] to (cause to) swing from side to side: The trees were swaying gently in the wind. | She swayed her body in time with the music. | (fig.) I'm swaying between two opinions. 2 [T often pass.] to influence (someone), especially so that they change their opinion: When you're choosing a career don't be swayed just by promises of future high earnings. | He's very easily swayed.
sway² n [U] 1 swaying movement: The sway of the ship made him fall over. 2 old use or lit power to rule; control: In medieval times the Church held sway over many countries.
Swa-zi /'swɑːzi/ n pl. Swazi or Swazis 1 [C] a member of the BANTU people of Swaziland 2 [U] the language spoken by the people of Swaziland —Swazi adj
Swa-zi-land /'swɑːzɪlənd/ a country in southeast Africa between South Africa and Mozambique. Population: 1,161,219 (2003). Capital: Mbabane.
swear /sweər/ v swore /swɔːr/,. sworn /swɔːn||swɔːrn/ 1 [I(at)] to use offensive words that are socially unacceptable; curse: Stop swearing in front of the children. | He tripped over the dog and swore at it. | She banged her thumb with the hammer and swore softly under her breath. 2 [T] to promise or declare formally or by OATH: The soldiers swore allegiance to the constitution of the United States. | [+to-v (that)] The witness swore to tell the truth/swore that she would tell the truth. | a sworn statement 3 [I;T(on)] to declare (an OATH), especially in a court of law: Before giving evidence you have to swear an oath/swear on the Bible. 4 [T+(that); not in progressive forms] infml to state firmly: He said he was there all the time, but I swear I never saw him.
swear by sthg. phr v [T not in progressive forms] infml to have great confidence in the value of: He swears by vitamin C pills, and says he hasn't had a cold since he started taking them.
swear sbdy. ⇔ in phr v [T often pass.] 1 to cause to take an OATH of loyalty: The new President was sworn in. | a swearing-in ceremony 2 to cause (a witness) to take the OATH in a court of law
swear to phr v [T] 1 [(swear sbdy. to sthg.)] to cause to make a solemn promise of: You must swear him to silence. | sworn to secrecy 2 [no pass.; usually in negatives] (swear to sthg.) to declare the truth of with certainty: I think it was him I saw, but I couldn't/wouldn't swear to it. | [+v-ing] I couldn't swear to having seen him.
'swear box BrE || cuss box AmE — n a box which some people keep and which they ask people to put money in when they swear, usually to try to stop people swearing
swear-word /'sweəwɜːd||'sweərwɜːrd/ n a word considered offensive or shocking by most people
CULTURAL NOTE Although swearing is common, many people believe that it is rude or offensive to swear a lot. Words that are marked taboo in this dictionary, such as SHIT, FUCK, and BOLLOCKS, are considered extremely offensive by most people. In the UK, if these words are used in television programmes, they are sometimes covered with a BLEEP (=high electronic sound). In the US, these words are not used in ordinary programmes, and they are always covered by a bleep sound in talk shows or other live programmes. In the UK and US, if a play or film on television contains a lot of swearing, there is usually a warning before the programme starts, which typically says that the programme includes 'strong language'. Many people use swearwords when they are with their friends, but would not use them in front of their parents or strangers. Most people believe that you should not swear in front of children, and most people think that it is totally unacceptable for children to swear. Some men believe that it is also impolite to swear in front of women, although many people consider this to be an old-fashioned belief. Other swearwords, such as DAMN, HELL, or BLOODY, are less strong and more acceptable, especially if you have hurt yourself or something has gone wrong, but even these words are considered offensive by some people, especially older people or very religious people. → see FOUR-LETTER WORD
sweat¹ /swet/ v 1 [I] also perspire euph or tech to have sweat coming out through the skin: He was sweating after his run/sweating with fear. 2 [I] to show liquid on the surface, coming from inside: The cheese is sweating. 3 [I] infml to be in a state of great anxiety or nervous impatience: We were really sweating as we waited for them to announce the results. | Don't tell them yet; make them sweat a bit. 4 [T] BrE to cook gently in melted fat: Sweat the vegetables until the juices run out. 5 sweat blood infml to work unusually hard: I've sweated blood over this report. 6 sweat one's guts out infml