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Glite Dictionary
bather

bather

4 1.7
A person who is swimming or bathing in water, for example at a beach
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪðər/
translation icon : bañista
  • Only a few hardy bathers are still swimming.
  • bather load
  • crowd of bathers
  • health of bathers

Those black bathers like Cezanne's could soon petrified to silence.

Examples

  • Down on the beach, a few die-hard bathers were still in the water, even though the evening was turning cool.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The squeals of happy bathers drift up to us.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The bar was closed, and there were only a couple of bathers sunning themselves at the other end of the pool.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I boarded the first train of the day next to some early morning bathers.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Such is the activity that bathers are advised not to remain immersed for more than fifteen minutes a day.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The swimming itself was a little dodgy because the other bathers didn't seem to believe in lanes.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • A platform floated well out in the bay, and bathers were sunning on it or using it to dive to the sandy bottom.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • A lifeguard slouched on his chair, surveying the bathers inscrutably behind his dark glasses.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The cold plunge was also lined with marble and flanked by marble niches in which bathers could take their leisure.

    Academic text (2011)

  • On a warm summer day, the bathers enjoyed splashing in the clear blue pool.

Synonyms

diver
vsbather
127 2.1

A person who goes underwater to swim or work, often with special gear

is broader, referring to anyone in water whether bathing or swimming
swimmer
vsbather
125 1.0

A person who swims for sport, fun, or exercise

is broader, also including people who bathe or swim casually
snorkeler
vsbather
  • US
1 2.6

A person who swims near the water surface using a snorkel to watch fish

includes surface swimmers and bathers, not only those observing underwater life
backstroker
vsbather
1 4.9

A person who swims on their back in races

means any person in water without specifying a stroke or competition
breaststroker
vsbather
1 4.2

A person who swims on their chest using arm pulls and a leg kick with both legs moving together

focuses on any person bathing or swimming, not one specific stroke
skin-diver
vsbather
1 5.0

A person who swims underwater with a mask and fins for fun or sport

covers general swimming and bathing rather than specialized underwater diving
natator
vsbather
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who swims, often for sport or exercise

is the general term for anyone in water whether bathing or swimming
skinny-dipper
vsbather
  • NSFW
8.9

A person who swims naked in a lake or sea

refers to people in water but without implying nudity or clothing state

How Immersed

diver
127 2.1
swimmer
125 1.0
bather
4 1.7

Surface Forms

bather singular
bathers plural

Morphology

bather = bathe (transparent) = bathe + er

Productive agentive formation from the verb 'bathe' with '-er'; meaning 'a person who bathes or swims' follows directly.

Etymology

Bather comes from bathe, which is related to bath and means 'to wash or swim'. The -er ending means 'a person who does something', so a bather is a person who is swimming or taking a bath.