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swab

swab

43 3.6
A small piece of cotton on a stick for cleaning wounds or taking samples
  • noun
  • /swɑb/
translation icon : hisopo
  • We'll need a DNA swab.
  • throat swab
  • nasal swab
  • cotton swab

They've done the DNA swabs of the, of the, of the wounds.

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Examples

  • We pulled a D.N.A. swab from his fingernails.

  • For the test, they collected a cheek cell sample with a cotton swab.

  • What I do is that I take cotton swab just like that.

  • One quick DNA swab and he gets it all.

  • And we have a cotton swab and look, all the matches are in here.

  • We're gonna take a swab and run a test for strep.

  • We've got blood samples and a DNA swab on their way to the lab.

  • Throat and nasal swab specimens were taken 3 days after the onset of illness.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab specimens were taken from each participant.

    Academic text (2012)
  • In each paper cup, we placed a cotton swab soaked in Fierce Melon-flavored Gatorade.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

wipe
vsswab
35 1.0

A small piece of soft material used for cleaning skin or surfaces

is smaller and fixed to a stick rather than a loose cloth
wet wipe
vsswab
3 1.3

A small soft disposable cloth made slightly wet to clean skin or surfaces

is typically an absorbent on a stick rather than a moistened cloth
swabber
vsswab
6.9

A small clean stick used to wipe a body part to collect a sample

is used also for applying medication and for cleaning wounds
wiping cloth
vsswab
2.1

A piece of cloth for cleaning grease, oil, or dirt in workshops

is for small medical uses like applying medicine or taking samples

Compounds

swab jockey
  • Slang
1 9.9

A person who collects samples and does simple routine tasks in a lab

How Absorbent

sponge
77 1.0
pad
118 1.4
swab
43 3.6
gauze
43 3.6

Surface Forms

swab singular
swabs plural

Etymology

Swab comes from the same old word swabbe that meant 'mop' or 'sponge', so a medical swab is like a tiny mop on a stick used to clean a wound or take a sample.