1
swab sth (with sth)
动词用法：swab 作及物动词，表示擦洗、拭抹；with 后接所用的工具或消毒剂。
The nurse swabbed the wound with alcohol.
护士用酒精擦拭伤口。
药签；拭子
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
药签；拭子
a small piece of cotton used to apply medicine, clean a wound, or collect a sample
The nurse swabbed the wound with alcohol.
护士用酒精擦拭伤口。
常指医用棉签/拭子。
一小块柔软的吸收性材料(如纱布),用于清洁伤口、涂药或采集体液样本,常附于棒或线上以利操作。
A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.
由一小块棉花组成的工具,用于涂药、清洁伤口或获取分泌物样本
implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
用拭子(吸收材料)采集的样本。
A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material).
由吸水材料固定在手柄上的清洁工具,用于清洁地板
cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
The nurse wiped the child's arm with an alcohol swab before the injection.
护士在注射前用酒精棉签擦了擦孩子的胳膊。
Please use this sterile swab to clean the wound gently.
请用这根无菌棉签轻轻清理伤口。
The lab technician sealed the swab in a plastic tube and sent it for testing.
实验室技术员把拭子封进塑料管里，送去检测。
动词用法：swab 作及物动词，表示擦洗、拭抹；with 后接所用的工具或消毒剂。
The nurse swabbed the wound with alcohol.
护士用酒精擦拭伤口。
名词用法：swab 作可数名词，指药签、拭子；take a swab 是常见搭配，表示用拭子采集样本。
The doctor took a swab from the patient's throat.
医生从病人的喉咙取了一个拭子。
Not this
Please swap the wound with alcohol.
Use this
Please swab the wound with alcohol.
swap 意为“交换”，与 swab（用棉签等擦洗/抹拭）拼写相似但意思不同。中文学习者易将二者混淆；此处要表达“用酒精擦拭伤口”，所以用 swab。
Not this
The nurse swabbed the wound cleanly.
Use this
The nurse swabbed the wound clean.
swab 后接宾语再接形容词作补语，表示擦拭的结果状态（如 clean）；副词 cleanly 修饰动作方式，不能表示结果。因此应使用形容词 clean。
Not this
She swabed the cut with antiseptic.
Use this
She swabbed the cut with antiseptic.
swab 以单元音加单辅音结尾，加 -ed 时须双写末尾辅音 b，写成 swabbed；不能只加 -ed。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
棉签
Use a cotton swab to clean the wound.
用棉签清洁伤口。
鼻拭子
The nurse took a nasal swab for the test.
护士用鼻拭子取样检测。
咽喉拭子
A throat swab is often used to diagnose strep throat.
咽喉拭子常用于诊断链球菌性咽喉炎。
拭子检测
The doctor ordered a swab test to check for the infection.
医生安排了拭子检测来检查感染。
拭子样本
The lab received swab samples from the patients.
实验室收到了患者的拭子样本。
擦洗甲板
The sailor swabbed the deck every morning.
那名水手每天早晨擦洗甲板。
擦洗甲板（常指做乏味的杂活或接受惩罚性的琐事）
The new recruits had to swab the deck every morning before inspection.
新兵每天早晨在检查前都得擦洗甲板。
把…擦洗干净
After the party, we had to swab down the kitchen counters.
聚会结束后，我们不得不把厨房台面擦洗干净。
Use swab naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想记忆：swab 的 sw- 同 scrub（擦洗）的 sw-，想象棉签在伤口上轻轻一抹。
语域：mixed 常见场景：medical、laboratory、first aid swab 通常指医用棉签或采样拭子，多用于医疗、实验室等专业场景；日常口语中更常说 cotton swab 或 Q-tip。
rob、job、mob、sob 与 swab 押韵（美式音 /ɑb/）；cab、lab 拼写以 ab 结尾，但读 /æb/，不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.