outswam

outswam

The young athlete outswam all her competitors in the final race.

Definition
  1. Verb (past tense of ):
    • To swim faster or better than someone: "outswam" is the simple past tense form of "outswim," meaning to surpass another person in swimming speed, distance, or skill.
Usage Examples
  • (She swam faster or better than every other competitor.)
  • (He was beaten in swimming by the younger athlete.)
  • (The dolphin swam faster than the boat.)
Advanced Usage
  • "to be outswam" (passive construction): to be defeated in a swimming contest.
    • In the final lap, he was outswam by a narrow margin. (He lost the race by a small difference in swimming speed.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Outswim (verb, base form): to swim faster or better than.
    • Can you outswim a shark? (Are you able to swim faster than a shark?)
  • Outswimming (present participle): the act of surpassing in swimming.
    • She is outswimming her previous personal best. (She is currently swimming faster than her best time.)
  • Outswum (past participle): having been surpassed in swimming.
    • He has outswum every opponent this season. (He has beaten every opponent in swimming this season.)
Synonyms
  • Beat (verb): to defeat or do better than.
    • He beat his rival in the swim race. (He defeated his rival.)
  • Surpass (verb): to exceed in performance.
    • She surpassed her own record. (She did better than her previous achievement.)
  • Outrace (verb): to go faster than in a race.
    • The swimmer outraced the current. (He moved faster than the water flow.)
Related Idioms
  • Swim against the tide (idiom): to act in opposition to the majority opinion.
    • Although he outswam his peers, he often swam against the tide of popular thought. (He was better at swimming, but he also held unpopular views.)
  • Sink or swim (idiom): to succeed or fail based on one's own efforts.
    • After being outswam by his team, he had to sink or swim in the next competition. (After losing, he had to either improve or fail.)