Standard Lemma guide

swot

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /swɒt/
  • General-American: /swɑt/
  • Australian: /swɔt/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: swat
  • rhymes with -ɒt

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who swots; a boffin, nerd, or smart aleck.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, countable, informal, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Work.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, countable, informal, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Vigorous study at an educational institution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, countable, informal, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Acronym of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable

Topics: business

Examples

  • Could you do a SWOT analysis of the business proposal I sent you?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To study with effort or determination.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, UK, informal, intransitive

Examples

  • Are you going to swot at it all the evening?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cram

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or boringly studious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grind, nerd, wonk, dweeb

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: learner, scholar, assimilator

7

verb

Meaning 7

study intensively, as before an exam

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cram, grind away, drum, bone up, get up, mug up, swot up, bone

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: study, hit the books

History

Etymology

From a dialectal English word, from Middle English swot, swat, from Old English swāt (“perspiration; sweat”), from Proto-Germanic *swaitą (“sweat”). More at sweat.

Across languages

Translations

80 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: зубрач (zubrač) — one who swots
  • Chinese Mandarin: 死記者 /死记者 (sǐjìzhě) — one who swots
  • Dutch: blokker — one who swots
  • Finnish: hikipinko — one who swots
  • Finnish: hikari — one who swots
  • Finnish: hikke — one who swots
  • Finnish: pinko — one who swots
  • French: bûcheur — one who swots
  • French: bosseur — one who swots
  • French: bachoteur — one who swots
  • Galician: chapón — one who swots
  • German: Büffler — one who swots
  • Japanese: 我利勉 — one who swots
  • Japanese: がり勉 (gariben) — one who swots
  • Korean: 공부벌레 (gongbubeolle) — one who swots
  • Manx: ard-studeyr — one who swots
  • Polish: kujon — one who swots
  • Portuguese: marrão — one who swots
  • Russian: зубри́ла (zubríla) — one who swots
  • Spanish: empollón — one who swots
  • Spanish: empollona — one who swots
  • Spanish: chapón — one who swots
  • Spanish: chapona — one who swots
  • Spanish: mateo — one who swots
  • Spanish: chancón — one who swots
  • Swedish: plugghäst — one who swots
  • French: boulot — work
  • French: tapin — work
  • Russian: вка́лывание (vkályvanije) — work
  • Bulgarian: зубрене (zubrene) — vigorous study
  • Chinese Mandarin: 死記 /死记 (sǐjì) — vigorous study
  • Dutch: blok — vigorous study
  • French: bachot — vigorous study
  • French: bachotage — vigorous study
  • German: Büffeln — vigorous study
  • German: Pauken — vigorous study
  • Japanese: がり勉 (gariben) — vigorous study
  • Russian: зубрёжка (zubrjóžka) — vigorous study
  • Armenian: կրծել (krcel) — study hard
  • Bulgarian: зубря (zubrja) — study hard
  • Catalan: empollar — study hard
  • Chinese Mandarin: 死記 /死记 (sǐjì) — study hard
  • Czech: šprtat — study hard
  • Czech: biflovat — study hard
  • Czech: drtit se — study hard
  • Dutch: blokken — study hard
  • Dutch: stampen — study hard
  • Finnish: ahtaa päähänsä — study hard
  • Finnish: päntätä — study hard
  • French: bûcher — study hard
  • French: bosser — study hard
  • French: potasser — study hard
  • French: bachoter — study hard
  • French: se bourrer le crâne — study hard
  • Galician: chapar — study hard
  • German: büffeln — study hard
  • German: pauken — study hard
  • Hindi: रटना (raṭnā) — study hard
  • Hindi: रट्टा मारना (raṭṭā mārnā) — study hard
  • Hungarian: magol — study hard
  • Hungarian: bemagol — study hard
  • Hungarian: biflázik — study hard
  • Irish: pulc — study hard
  • Italian: sgobbare — study hard
  • Japanese: がり勉する (gariben suru) — study hard
  • Korean: 열공하다 (yeolgonghada) — study hard
  • Norwegian Bokmål: pugge — study hard
  • Polish: kuć — study hard
  • Polish: wkuwać — study hard
  • Polish: wkuć — study hard
  • Portuguese: marrar — study hard
  • Russian: зубри́ть (zubrítʹ) — study hard
  • Russian: вы́зубрить (výzubritʹ) — study hard
  • Spanish: empollar — study hard
  • Spanish: chancar — study hard
  • Thai: ติว (dtiu) — study hard
  • Turkish: ineklemek — study hard
  • Turkish: hatmetmek — study hard
  • Turkish: hafızlamak — study hard
  • Welsh: adolygu — study hard