What does "swing" mean?
The act, or an instance, of swinging.
Swing
/ˈswɪŋ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act, or an instance, of swinging.
- Grammar: swing is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accent, accentuation, accomplish, acid rock.
- Useful contrasts: even tempo, halt, persist.
- Usage evidence: The swing is moving up and down.
How to use "swing"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swing" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swing" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act, or an instance, of swinging. countable, uncountable
"For a time he kept to the ground, but finally, discovering no spoor indicative of nearby meat, he took to the trees. With the first dizzy swing from tree to tree all the old joy of living swept over him. Vain regrets and dull heartache were forgotten. Now was he living. Now, indeed, was the true happiness of perfect freedom his."
- 2 changing location by moving back and forth wordnet
- 3 The manner in which something is swung. countable, uncountable
"He worked tirelessly to improve his golf swing."
- 4 a square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them wordnet
- 5 The sweep or compass of a swinging body. countable, uncountable
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball wordnet
- 7 A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing. countable, uncountable
- 8 the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it wordnet
- 9 A hanging seat that can swing back and forth, in a children's playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing. countable, uncountable
"To Edward […] he was terrible, nerve-inflaming, poisonously asphyxiating. He sat rocking himself in the late Mr. Churchill's swing chair, smoking and twaddling."
- 10 a sweeping blow or stroke wordnet
- 11 An energetic and acrobatic late-1930s partner-based dance style, also known as jitterbug and lindy-hop. countable, uncountable
- 12 mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth wordnet
- 13 The genre of music associated with this dance style. countable, uncountable
"It makes no diff'rence / if it's sweet or hot. / Just give that rhythm / ev'rything you've got! / It don't mean a thing / if it ain't got that swing."
- 14 a jaunty rhythm in music wordnet
- 15 The amount of change towards or away from something. countable, uncountable
"Miss Pole came round with a swing to as vehement a belief in the sorrowful tale as she had been sceptical before […]"
- 16 a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz wordnet
- 17 The amount of change towards or away from something.; In an election, the increase or decrease in the number of votes for opposition parties compared with votes for the incumbent party. countable, uncountable
"The polls showed a wide swing to Labour."
- 18 a state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity wordnet
- 19 Sideways movement of the ball as it flies through the air. countable, uncountable
- 20 Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it. countable, uncountable
- 21 In a musical theater production, a performer who understudies several roles. countable, uncountable
"I started as a swing. I mostly played Joanne and Mrs. Jefferson, the “Seasons of Love” soloist. I closed it out. So I was there for about the last four or five years."
- 22 A basic dance step in which a pair link hands and turn round together in a circle. countable, uncountable
- 23 The maximum amount of change that has occurred or can occur; the sum of the maximum changes in any direction. countable, uncountable
"Jesus' finishing has been one of the main concerns - since the start of last season the 23-year-old has underperformed his Premier League expected goals tally by 6.97goals ^([sic]) (in short, he has scored seven fewer goals than would be expected from the chances presented to him). In contrast, Haaland is overperforming by 6.83 goals since joining Dortmund, which is almost a 14-goal swing between the pair."
- 24 Free course; unrestrained liberty. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Take thy swing."
- 25 Influence or power of anything put in motion. countable, uncountable
- 26 A type of hook with the arm more extended. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To rotate about an off-centre fixed point. intransitive
"The plant swung in the breeze."
- 2 alternate dramatically between high and low values wordnet
- 3 To dance. intransitive
- 4 hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement wordnet
- 5 To ride on a swing. intransitive
"The children laughed as they swung."
Show 27 more definitions
- 6 engage freely in promiscuous sex, often with the husband or wife of one's friends wordnet
- 7 To participate in the swinging lifestyle; to participate in wifeswapping. intransitive
"We find it difficult to meet couples our age, and often swing with single, straight men. We have rules: no married guys cheating on their wives, no one too young or too old, and no one who supports Trump."
- 8 make a big sweeping gesture or movement wordnet
- 9 To hang from the gallows; to be punished by hanging, swing for something or someone; (often hyperbolic) to be severely punished. intransitive
"“It's all clear,” he whispered. “Have you the chisel and the bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I'll swing for it!” Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts."
- 10 play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm wordnet
- 11 To move sideways in its trajectory. intransitive
- 12 move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner wordnet
- 13 (of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways in its trajectory. transitive
- 14 change direction with a swinging motion; turn wordnet
- 15 To fluctuate or change. intransitive
"It wasn't long before the crowd's mood swung towards restless irritability."
- 16 move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting wordnet
- 17 To move (an object) backward and forward; to wave. transitive
"He swung his sword as hard as he could."
- 18 be a social swinger; socialize a lot wordnet
- 19 To change (a numerical result); especially to change the outcome of an election. transitive
- 20 influence decisively wordnet
- 21 To make (something) work; especially to afford (something) financially. slang, transitive
"If it’s not too expensive, I think we can swing it."
- 22 live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style wordnet
- 23 To play notes that are in pairs by making the first of the pair slightly longer than written (augmentation) and the second shorter, resulting in a bouncy, uneven rhythm. transitive
- 24 hang loosely wordnet
- 25 To move one's arm in a punching motion. intransitive, transitive
- 26 have a certain musical rhythm wordnet
- 27 In dancing, to turn around in a small circle with one's partner, holding hands or arms. transitive
""to swing one's partner", or simply "to swing""
- 28 To admit or turn something for the purpose of shaping it; said of a lathe. transitive
"The lathe can swing a pulley of 12 inches diameter."
- 29 To put (a door, gate, etc.) on hinges so that it can swing or turn. transitive
- 30 To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor.
"A ship swings with the tide."
- 31 To turn in a different direction.
"Soon after departure, we cross the invisible border into Scotland to enjoy more stunning coastal scenery, before the line finally swings inland at Burnmouth to traverse pine-clad valleys, shadowed by the A1 trunk road until we rejoin the coast at Cove, east of Dunbar."
- 32 To be sexually oriented.
"swing both ways"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The swing is moving up and down."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swing"?
Common synonyms include: accent, accentuation, accomplish, acid rock, act, acting.
How do you use "swing" in a sentence?
The swing is moving up and down.
How do you pronounce "swing"?
Pronounced /ˈswɪŋ/.
Etymology
From Middle English swyngen, from Old English swingan, from Proto-West Germanic *swingan, from Proto-Germanic *swinganą (compare Low German swingen, German schwingen, Dutch zwingen, Swedish svinga), from Proto-Indo-European *swenk-, *sweng- (compare Scottish Gaelic seang (“thin”)). Related to swink.