free-swimming
adjective
free-swim·ming
ˈfrē-ˈswi-miŋ 
: able to swim about : not attached
the free-swimming larva of the barnacle
Examples of free-swimming in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These structures evolved billions of years ago from free-swimming bacteria that were engulfed by some of humanity's earliest ancestors.
—
Sneha Khedkar, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Those snails, in turn, shed the worm's free-swimming larvae, which can then penetrate the exoskeleton of O. grillus.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2023
Fossilized polyps have been found in about 560-million-year old rocks, but the origin of the more free-swimming medusa or jellyfish is not well understood.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Aug. 2023
That’s not the case for orcas, which are massive and free-swimming.
—Gene Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sneha Khedkar, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Those snails, in turn, shed the worm's free-swimming larvae, which can then penetrate the exoskeleton of O. grillus.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Sep. 2023
Fossilized polyps have been found in about 560-million-year old rocks, but the origin of the more free-swimming medusa or jellyfish is not well understood.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 2 Aug. 2023
That’s not the case for orcas, which are massive and free-swimming.
—Gene Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near free-swimming
Cite this Entry
“Free-swimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-swimming. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
free-swimming
adjective
free-swim·ming
-ˌswim-iŋ
: able to swim about : not attached
a free-swimming larva of a trematode
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share