a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
a bit of sponge, cloth, cotton, or the like, sometimes fixed to a stick, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person or for applying medicaments, drying areas, etc.
the material collected with a swab as a specimen for microscopic study.
a brush or wad of absorbent material for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
Slang. a sailor; swabby.
Slang. a clumsy fellow.
verb (used with object),swabbed,swab·bing.
to clean with or as if with a swab: to swab the decks.
to take up or apply, as moisture, with or as if with a swab: to swab soapy water from the decks.
to pass over a surface: to swab a mop over the decks.
Origin of swab
First recorded in 1645–55; back formation from swabber
A woman standing in line for a coronavirus test asks one of the officials if the test—a nose and throat swab—hurts.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
The throat swab is less invasive, requiring only a quick brush of the back of the tongue.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency authorizations for more than 150 diagnostic Covid-19 tests, including those that rely on saliva and others that require a swab of deep in the nasal cavity, the front of the nose or the throat.
Spit vs. Swab? Scientists say new studies support use of ‘saliva tests’ for COVID|Lee Clifford|September 5, 2020|Fortune
The physician’s orders documented in the facility’s medical record also do not mention the nasal swab test.
A Doctor Went to His Own Employer for a COVID-19 Antibody Test. It Cost $10,984.|by Marshall Allen|September 5, 2020|ProPublica
The claims also included codes for a nasal swab coronavirus test.
A Doctor Went to His Own Employer for a COVID-19 Antibody Test. It Cost $10,984.|by Marshall Allen|September 5, 2020|ProPublica
She submitted to a DNA swab after some discussions between the authorities and her lawyer.
Katherine Russell Under Scrutiny After Female DNA Found on Boston Bomb|Michael Daly|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Pour a little into a cup, and apply to the spots with a swab, but be sure not to allow the acid to touch the hands.
The Whitehouse Cookbook (1887)|Mrs. F.L. Gillette
Had not he possessed that, he would not have been at the head of the firm of Crank, Trunnion & Swab.
The Two Supercargoes|W.H.G. Kingston
The bauer by daylight was somewhat less of a Swab and gave me milk for my porridge, the first I had had for three months.
The New Germany|George Young
Put the nicest articles in the wash-dish, and wash them in hot suds, with the swab or nicest dish-cloth.
A Treatise on Domestic Economy|Catherine Esther Beecher
An attendant dipped a swab in a tub of salt and water to baste the ox, and moderate the fire.
The Loyalists of Massachusetts|James H. Stark
British Dictionary definitions for swab
swab
/ (swɒb) /
noun
med
a small piece of cotton, gauze, etc, for use in applying medication, cleansing a wound, or obtaining a specimen of a secretion, etc
the specimen so obtained
a mop for cleaning floors, decks, etc
a brush used to clean a firearm's bore
slangan uncouth or worthless fellow
verbswabs, swabbingorswabbed
(tr)to clean or medicate with or as if with a swab
(tr foll by up) to take up with a swab
Word Origin for swab
C16: probably from Middle Dutch swabbe mop; related to Norwegian svabba to splash, Dutch zwabberen to mop, German schwappen to slop over