Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense swathes, present participle swathing, past tense, past participle swathedlanguage note: The noun is also spelled swath.
1. countable noun
A swatheof land is a long strip of land.
On May 1st the army took over another swathe of territory.
Year by year great swathes of this small nation's countryside disappear.
2. countable noun
A swatheof cloth is a long strip of cloth, especially one that is wrapped around someone or something.
...swathes of white silk. [+ of]
3. verb
To swathe someone or something in cloth means to wrap them in it completely.
She swathed her enormous body in thin black fabrics. [VERB noun + in]
His head was swathed in bandages made from a torn sheet. [beVERB-ed]
Synonyms: wrap, drape, envelop, bind More Synonyms of swathe
4.
See cut a swathe through sth
swathe in British English
(sweɪð)
verb(transitive)
1.
to bandage (a wound, limb, etc), esp completely
2.
to wrap a band, garment, etc, around, esp so as to cover completely; swaddle
3.
to envelop
noun
4.
a bandage or wrapping
5. a variant spelling of swath
Derived forms
swathable (ˈswathable) or swatheable (ˈswatheable)
adjective
Word origin
Old English swathian; related to swæthel swaddling clothes, Old High German swedil, Dutch zwadel; see swaddle
swathe in American English1
(swɑð; sweɪð)
verb transitiveWord forms: swathed or ˈswathing
1.
to wrap or bind up in a long strip or bandage
2.
to wrap (a bandage, etc.) around something
3.
to surround or envelop; enclose
noun
4.
a bandage or wrapping
Derived forms
swather (ˈswather)
noun
Word origin
ME swathen < OE swathian, akin to ON svatha, to glide, prob. < IE base *swei-, to turn, bend > sway
swathe in American English2
(sweɪð)
noun
var. of
swath
Examples of 'swathe' in a sentence
swathe
Bodies lay there swathed from head to toe.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
The major selling point was that it backed on to swathes of open countryside.
Jan Fennell FRIENDS FOR LIFE (2003)
And do not think the upside is a great swathe of agility.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They are literally cutting a swathe through the lives of innocent citizens.
The Sun (2006)
Campaigners said it risked opening up swathes of countryside to fracking.
The Sun (2015)
Politicians and regulators who are cutting a swathe through bank earnings know two things.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is a system that has cut a swathe through suppliers.
Joanna Blythman SHOPPED: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets (2004)
Huge dams are cutting a swathe across the tropical landscape.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
After some treatment he strode back out on to the pitch swathed in bandages to carry on the battle.
The Sun (2010)
She appeared with her left hand swathed in bandage and a large plaster on the thumb of her right hand.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The treaty stripped Germany of a vast swathe of land.
The Sun (2014)
It grows in long, fragrant swathes beside the lanes and at the field edges.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
His head was swathed in bandages, his bruised features swollen out of all recognition.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
That is why he was announcing the release of huge swathes of government-owned land for housebuilding.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The government has little control over great swathes of the country, much of it dense rainforest.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Not surprisingly, great swathes of the religious audience voiced their displeasure.
Christianity Today (2000)
He's also concerned about great swathes of other public protection measures.
The Sun (2008)
Who wouldn't want to be swathed head to toe in a fabric that feels like double cream?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Vast swathes of land are off-limits.
The Sun (2016)
Beware great swathes of yellow.
The Sun (2012)
There are large swathes of uninhabited land on the coast of sub-Saharan Africa.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Shocked The Government is planning to abandon huge swathes of land it says cannot be saved.
The Sun (2008)
Nature notes Autumn colours are now becoming more noticeable, though large swathes of the countryside are still quite green.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
swathe
British English: swathe NOUN
A swathe of land is a long strip of land.
Year by year great swathes of this small nation's countryside disappear.
American English: swathe
Brazilian Portuguese: faixa
Chinese: 一长条
European Spanish: franja
French: pan
German: Streifen
Italian: striscia
Japanese: 広がり
Korean: 띠 모양의 땅
European Portuguese: faixa
Latin American Spanish: franja
(verb)
Definition
to wrap a bandage, garment, or piece of cloth around (a person or part of the body)
She swathed herself in thin black fabrics.
Synonyms
wrap
She wrapped the baby in a blanket.
drape
He draped himself in the flag.
envelop
the thick black cloud of smoke that enveloped the area
bind
Her mother bound the wound with a rag soaked in iodine.
lap
fold
an object folded neatly in tissue-paper
bandage
Apply a dressing to the wound and bandage it.
cloak
The coastline was cloaked in fog.
shroud
Mist shrouded the outline of the palace.
swaddle
bedeck
furl
sheathe
enfold
Wood was comfortably enfolded in a woolly dressing-gown.
bundle up
muffle up
enwrap
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bandage
Definition
to cover or wrap with a bandage
Apply a dressing to the wound and bandage it.
Synonyms
dress,
cover,
bind,
wrap,
swathe,
strap up,
put a bandage on
in the sense of bind
Definition
to bandage
Her mother bound the wound with a rag soaked in iodine.
Synonyms
bandage,
cover,
dress,
wrap,
swathe,
encase
in the sense of cloak
Definition
to cover with or as if with a cloak
The coastline was cloaked in fog.
Synonyms
cover,
coat,
wrap,
blanket,
shroud,
envelop
Nearby words of
swathe
swashbuckling
swastika
swath
swathe
sway
swear
swear by something
Synonyms of 'swathe'
swathe
Explore 'swathe' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of drape
Definition
to cover with material or fabric
He draped himself in the flag.
Synonyms
cover,
wrap,
fold,
array,
adorn,
cloak,
shroud,
swathe,
envelop,
festoon,
bedeck,
enfold
in the sense of enfold
Definition
to cover (something) by, or as if by, wrapping something round it
Wood was comfortably enfolded in a woolly dressing-gown.
Synonyms
wrap,
surround,
enclose,
wrap up,
encompass,
shroud,
immerse,
swathe,
envelop,
sheathe,
enwrap
in the sense of envelop
Definition
to cover, surround, or enclose
the thick black cloud of smoke that enveloped the area