as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
every time he begged off a night at the pub—saying he had to study—his mates teased him for being a swot
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Recent Examples of swot
John McIntyre, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2023
So, swot up, then delegate.
—Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 4 May 2021
The Economist, 13 June 2020
Greenblatt might want to have a chinwag with some of his colleagues in the history department and swot up the biography of someone like Wisconsin’s Robert La Follette, a progressive populist politician perhaps more to his liking.
—Alex Beam, BostonGlobe.com, 2 May 2018
Noun
The Oxbridge and Ivy League colleges traditionally had disparaging terms for students who worked too hard and devoted themselves too diligently to learning: swot in England, grind in the United States.
—John McIntyre, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2023
So, swot up, then delegate.
—Barnaby Lashbrooke, Forbes, 4 May 2021
Verb
Yamada Jun, the IT expert, became the CEO and travelled to Germany to swot up on renewables.
—The Economist, 13 June 2020
Greenblatt might want to have a chinwag with some of his colleagues in the history department and swot up the biography of someone like Wisconsin’s Robert La Follette, a progressive populist politician perhaps more to his liking.
—Alex Beam, BostonGlobe.com, 2 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swot
Noun
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Take it from a film critic: Even gawky beta nerds get smothered by their own internalized masculinity.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
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Wednesday night gives us a grudge match worth watching, and a sliding-doors moment to bask in and nerd out.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Leverage text analytics tools to analyze transcripts and identify key themes and patterns.—
Beth Worthy,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Experts analyzed the ring, comparing it to similar objects from the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Tapping into the geek chic aesthetic, the star completed the look with a pair of black trousers held up by red, white and blue suspenders supported by her shoulders.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Flamboyant theater geek Ezra (Matthew Finlan) makes his shrieks sound especially dramatic.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Tennis players are deduced, disadvantaged, deserved, and defaulted.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Alienware’s simulations deduced that this was the most effective way to move cool air into the system and push hot air out as quickly as possible—even more efficient than including a rear outward-facing exhaust fan.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The forthcoming decision was welcomed by Gilles Bissonnette, the legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, who said that Liu can now continue studying and working computer science.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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In a pivotal scene in the season finale, Piper comes to the realization that her plan to stay at a monastery for a year and study Buddhism isn't going to work.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To find out more about HK Digital, visit their website.—
Tyler Shepherd,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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The Athletic informally polled a half dozen personnel directors and the head of a name, image and likeness collective at a Power 4 school to find out.—
Antonio Morales,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As the verdict was read, Way looked straight ahead.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
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Way, who smiled as the initial $4 million verdict was read, was cleared on claims of false imprisonment and constructive discharge.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Investigators also learned that a friend of Johnson's had pawned a handgun for him.—
William Morris,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The police first learned of suspicious behavior from an April 7 call that led them to an 11-year-old boy who said that an unknown man had videotaped him in a restroom.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swot. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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