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Definition of swiss cheese

swiss cheese

Plural:Swiss cheeses
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• noun

1

North American A mild, pale yellow cheese characterized by large holes or 'eyes', originally modeled after traditional Alpine varieties.

Example

"He ordered a deli sandwich layered with smoked ham, mustard, and a thick slice of Swiss cheese."

2

A concept, object, or system that is characterized by having numerous gaps, missing components, or fundamental logical flaws.

Example

"The defense attorney quickly demonstrated that the prosecution's circumstantial case was essentially Swiss cheese."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for swiss cheese

Word Nuance & Usage

While primarily a culinary term, it is frequently used metaphorically (often attributively) to describe an argument, memory, or security system that is thoroughly flawed or full of glaring gaps.

• Nearby Words

swimsuit
swing
swiss chard
swiss cheese
switch
switchboard
switchgrass

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Swiss cheese. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/swiss%20cheese
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