swabnoun [ C ]
uk/swɒb/us/swɑːb/a small piece of soft material used for cleaning a cut or for taking a small amount of substance from a body, or the substance itself that can then be tested:
US US trademark Q-tip, UK cotton bud a small piece of soft material on a short stick:
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Medical dressings, supports & devices
- auditory brainstem implant
- Band-Aid
- bandage
- biventricular pacemaker
- calipers
- cochlear implant
- cotton
- cotton ball
- cotton wool ball
- earplug
- Elastoplast
- ice pack
- lint
- liposome
- plaster cast
- poultice
- truss
- walker
- walking frame
- Zimmer frame
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swabverb [ T ]
uk/swɒb/us/swɑːb/-bb-swab verb [ T ] (WASH)
to wash a surface, especially the open, flat areas of a ship, with a wet cloth or mop
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Cleaning generally
- brush sb/sth off
- cleaner
- cleaning
- cleanse
- cleansing
- decontaminate
- groom
- purification
- purify
- rinse sth out
- scour
- scrub
- sluice
- sluice sth down/out
- sponge
- sweep
- wash (sth) out
- wipe
- wipe sth down
- wipe sth up
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swab verb [ T ] (MEDICINE)
to clean a cut or take a small amount of substance from a body using a small piece of soft material
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Medical examination
- audiology
- biopsy
- CAT scan
- cervical smear
- check-up
- clinically
- colonoscopy
- ECG
- electroencephalogram
- laparoscopic
- laparoscopy
- mammogram
- palpate
- palpation
- PET scan
- pregnancy test
- screening
- sonogram
- specimen
- ultrasound
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