overswim

O1V4E1R1S1W4I1M3

verb

To swim too fast or too strenuously.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

verboverswim (third-person singular simple present overswims, present participle overswimming, simple past overswam, past participle overswum)

present singular third person overswims · participle present overswimming · past overswam · participle past overswum

  1. transitiveTo swim too fast or too strenuously.

    This is particularly true in the 100-meter race, where the temptation to overswim the first 50 meters can be strong. The desire to take it out fast can backfire when the swimmers goes into a vertical body position in the final 10 meters.

    2001, Dick Hannula, The Swim Coaching Bible, Volume II, page 182
  2. archaicpoetictransitiveTo flood or inundate.

Origin

From over- + swim.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

overswim. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overswim

MLA

“overswim.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overswim. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overswim,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overswim.

Source: overswim on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.