Swab \Swab\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swabbed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Swabbing}.] [See {Swabber}, n.] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also {swob}.]
Swab \Swab\, n. [Written also swob.] 1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.
2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.
3. (Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang] --Marryat.
4. A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.] --Bailey.
5. A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
The evidence may be a drop of blood left on a broken windowpane by a burglar, the semen on a vaginal swab from a rape victim, the skin tissue found under the nails of a murdered man.
When enough saliva has been collected the stick attached to the swab turns blue.
In the morning, they clean it off with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab.
Competitors for Miss America 1991 still spray glue on their swimsuits to prevent skin spillover and swab their teeth with petroleum jelly to ensure a shiny smile, but pageant executive director Leonard Horn said change is coming.
In the course of about 20 hours, the novice sailors swab decks, peel potatoes and stand watch in the night.