To swim means to move through water using your arms, legs, and body. When you swim, you might kick your legs like a frog, pull your arms through the water, and turn your head to breathe. Different swimming strokes have different names: freestyle (or front crawl), backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Swimming is both a survival skill and a form of exercise. Humans aren't natural swimmers like fish or otters, so we have to learn how to coordinate our movements to stay afloat and move forward. Some people swim competitively in races, while others swim for fun at the beach or pool. Swimming works almost every muscle in your body, which is why swim practice leaves you feeling tired but strong.

The word also describes other things moving through liquid: fish swim through the ocean, and you might say your head is swimming when you feel dizzy or confused, as if your thoughts are floating around without direction. When someone is swimming in something, they have an overwhelming amount of it, like a student swimming in homework during a busy week.