. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
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.
Pronunciation
Verb
swing (third-person singular simple present swings, present participle swinging, simple past swung or (archaic or dialectal) swang, past participle swung or (archaic) swungen)
- (intransitive) To rotate about an off-centre fixed point.
The plant swung in the breeze.
1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 12, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company, 1914 June, →OCLC:With one accord the tribe swung rapidly toward the frightened cries, and there found Terkoz holding an old female by the hair and beating her unmercifully with his great hands.
2012 February 29, Troy Denning, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, Random House, →ISBN, page 3:The starliner swung into orbit around the planet Coruscant, and beyond the observation bubble appeared a glittering expanse of a billion golden lights. Through a thousand centuries of strife, those lights continued to shine.
- (intransitive) To dance.
- (intransitive) To ride on a swing.
The children laughed as they swung.
- (intransitive) To participate in the swinging lifestyle; to participate in wife-swapping.
- (intransitive) To hang from the gallows; to be punished by hanging, swing for something or someone; (often hyperbolic) to be severely punished.
1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Red-Headed League:“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.
- (intransitive, cricket, of a ball) To move sideways in its trajectory.
- (transitive, cricket) (of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways in its trajectory.
- (intransitive) To fluctuate or change.
It wasn't long before the crowd's mood swung towards restless irritability.
- (transitive) To move (an object) backward and forward; to wave.
He swung his sword as hard as he could.
- (transitive) To change (a numerical result); especially to change the outcome of an election.
- (transitive) To make (something) work; especially to afford (something) financially.
If it’s not too expensive, I think we can swing it.
- (transitive, music) 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 and intransitive, boxing) To move one's arm in a punching motion.
- (transitive) In dancing, to turn around in a small circle with one's partner, holding hands or arms.
"to swing one's partner", or simply "to swing"
- (transitive, engineering) To admit or turn something for the purpose of shaping it; said of a lathe.
The lathe can swing a pulley of 12 inches diameter.
- (transitive, carpentry) To put (a door, gate, etc.) on hinges so that it can swing or turn.
- (nautical) To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor.
A ship swings with the tide.
- To turn in a different direction.
2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75: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.
Troponyms
- (to rotate about an off-centre fixed point): pivot, swivel
Coordinate terms
- (be executed by hanging): fry
Derived terms
Translations
to rotate about an off-centre fixed point
- Afrikaans: swaai (af)
- Arabic: تَأَرْجَحَ (taʔarjaḥa)
- Hijazi Arabic: اتمرجح (atmarjaḥ)
- Armenian: ճոճվել (hy) (čočvel)
- Aromanian: leagãn
- Azerbaijani: yırğalanmaq
- Basque: please add this translation if you can
- Bulgarian: клатя се (klatja se), люлея се (ljuleja se), клатушкам се (klatuškam se)
- Catalan: engronsar (ca), balancejar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 擺動/摆动 (zh) (bǎidòng), 搖擺/摇摆 (zh) (yáobǎi), 擺蕩/摆荡 (bǎidàng), 擺/摆 (zh) (bǎi)
- Czech: houpat se, kývat se m, kymácet, zhoupnout se
- Dutch: zwaaien (nl), zwenken (nl), zwieren (nl)
- Esperanto: balanci
- Finnish: heilua (fi), keinua (fi)
- French: osciller (fr), se balancer (fr), balancer (fr)
- Galician: randear (gl), bambear (gl), tangonear (gl), arfar (gl), brandir
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: schwingen (de), schaukeln (de), schwanken (de)
- Greek: κουνιέμαι (el) (kouniémai)
- Hungarian: leng (hu), himbálózik (hu)
- Icelandic: sveiflast
- Italian: oscillare (it), ondeggiare (it), altalenare (it), dondolare (it)
- Japanese: 振れる (ja) (ふれる, fureru), 揺さぶる (ja) (ゆさぶる, yusaburu), 揺れる (ja) (ゆれる, yureru)
- Khmer: យោល (km) (youl, yool)
- Latin: oscillo
- Macedonian: ни́ша (níša), лу́ла (lúla)
- Maori: kōpiupiu
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Portuguese: balançar (pt)
- Romanian: balansa (ro), legăna (ro), oscila (ro)
- Russian: кача́ться (ru) impf (kačátʹsja), раска́чиваться (ru) impf (raskáčivatʹsja)
- Slovak: hojdať sa (sk) impf
- Spanish: balancear (es), mecer (es)
- Swedish: gunga (sv), svinga (sv)
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
- Vietnamese: đu (vi), đung đưa
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to participate in swinging lifestyle
cricket: of a ball, to move sideways in its trajectory
to move an object backward and forward
to change a numerical result
music: to produce a bouncy, uneven rhythm
cricket: to make the ball move sideways in its trajectory
boxing: to move one's arm in a punching motion
dancing: to turn around in a small circle with one's partner
Translations to be checked
Noun
swing (countable and uncountable, plural swings)
- The manner in which something is swung.
He worked tirelessly to improve his golf swing.
Door swing indicates direction the door opens.
the swing of a pendulum
2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:Improve your golf swing by taking your mate to the driving range. If you're good, you can show off and give her some tips. If you stink, play it for laughs.
- The sweep or compass of a swinging body.
- A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing.
- 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.
- An energetic and acrobatic late-1930s partner-based dance style, also known as jitterbug and lindy-hop.
- (music) The genre of music associated with this dance style.
1931, “It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)”, Irving Mills (lyrics), Duke Ellington (music), performed by Ivie Anderson with Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, Brunswick, catalog number 6265: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.
- The amount of change towards or away from something.
1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford:Miss Pole came round with a swing to as vehement a belief in the sorrowful tale as she had been sceptical before […]
- (politics) In an election, the increase or decrease in the number of votes for opposition parties compared with votes for the incumbent party.
- The polls showed a wide swing to Labour.
- (cricket) Sideways movement of the ball as it flies through the air.
- Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.
- In a musical theater production, a performer who understudies several roles.
- A basic dance step in which a pair link hands and turn round together in a circle.
- The maximum amount of change that has occurred or can occur; the sum of the maximum changes in any direction.
2021 February 4, Raj Chohan, “Erling Braut Haaland: Would Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea suit striker best?”, in BBC Sport: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 (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.
- (obsolete) Free course; unrestrained liberty.
1788, Edmund Burke, speech in the Impeachment of Warren Hastings:To prevent anything which may prove an obstacle on the full swing of his genius.
- Influence or power of anything put in motion.
- (boxing) A type of hook with the arm more extended.
Quotations
- 1937, Ivie Anderson, song “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” (Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper, Walter Jurman), in film A Day at the Races, Sam Wood (director), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- All God’s chillun got rhythm. All God's chillun got swing.
- Maybe haven't got money, maybe haven't got shoes.
- All God’s chillun got rhythm for to push away their blues.
Derived terms
Translations
manner in which something is swung
hanging seat
- Afrikaans: skoppelmaai, swaai (af)
- Albanian: kolovajzë (sq) f, shilarës (sq) m, shilarth (sq) m, shregull (sq) f
- Arabic: أُرْجُوحَة f (ʔurjūḥa), مُرْجِيحَة f (murjīḥa)
- Hijazi Arabic: مُرْجيحة f (murjēḥa)
- Moroccan Arabic: زعلولة f (zaʕlūla), طياشة f (ṭiyyāša), مطيشة f (muṭṭayša), زيطة f (zīṭa), حطيشة f (ḥuṭṭayša)
- Armenian: ճոճանակ (hy) (čočanak), ճոճ (hy) (čoč), ճլորթի (hy) (člortʻi)
- Azerbaijani: yelləncək (az)
- Basque: zabu sg, kulunka sg
- Belarusian: качэлі f pl (kačeli), арэлі f pl (areli), гушкалка f (huškalka)
- Bulgarian: люлка (bg) f (ljulka)
- Burmese: please add this translation if you can
- Catalan: gronxador (ca) m
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 韆鞦/千秋 (cin1 cau1)
- Hakka: 晃槓仔/晃杠仔 (kòng-kong-é)
- Hokkien: 韆鞦/千秋 (chhian-chhiu)
- Mandarin: 鞦韆/秋千 (zh) (qiūqiān)
- Czech: houpačka (cs) f
- Danish: gynge (da)
- Dutch: schommel (nl) m
- Esperanto: pendolilo
- Estonian: kiik, kiiged pl
- Finnish: keinu (fi)
- French: balançoire (fr) f
- Galician: bambán m, randeeira (gl) f
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: Schaukel (de) f, Hutsche (de) f (South German, Austrian)
- Greek: κούνια (el) f (koúnia)
- Ancient: αἰώρα f (aiṓra)
- Gujarati: સ્વિંગ (sviṅg)
- Hebrew: נַדְנֵדָה (he)
- Hungarian: hinta (hu)
- Icelandic: róla f
- Ingrian: leekku
- Irish: luascán (ga)
- Italian: altalena (it) f
- Japanese: ブランコ (buranko), 鞦韆 (ja) (ぶらんこ, buranko)
- Kannada: ಉಯ್ಯಾಲೆ (kn) (uyyāle)
- Kazakh: әткеншек (ätkenşek)
- Khmer: ទោង (km) (toong)
- Korean: 그네 (ko) (geune)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: جۆلانە (colane)
- Latgalian: leigačys, šyupelis, airis, airis
- Latin: oscillum n, cunae (for cradle)
- Latvian: šūpoles
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Livonian: äl
- Macedonian: лу́лашка f (lúlaška), ни́шалка f (níšalka)
- Malay: buaian
- Malayalam: ഊഞ്ഞാൽ (ml) (ūññāl)
- Manchu: ᠴᡝᡴᡝ (ceke)
- Mansaka: doyan
- Maori: kautārere, tārere
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: huske (no) m or f, gynge m or f, disse (no) m or f
- Nynorsk: huske f, gynge f, disse f
- Persian: تاب (fa) (tâb), گاز (fa) (gāz) (Afghanistan)
- Polish: huśtawka (pl) f, bujawka f (regional), bujaczka f (regional)
- Portuguese: balanço (pt), baloiço (pt) m, balouço (pt) m
- Romanian: leagăn (ro) n
- Russian: каче́ли (ru) f pl (kačéli)
- Serbo-Croatian: ljuljaška (sh) f
- Sicilian: naca (scn) f
- Slovak: hojdačka (sk) f
- Spanish: columpio (es) m, hamaca (es) f (Argentina, Uruguay)
- Swedish: gunga (sv)
- Tamil: ஊஞ்சல் (ta) (ūñcal)
- Telugu: ఉయ్యాల (te) (uyyāla), ఊయల (te) (ūyala)
- Thai: ชิงช้า (th) (ching-cháa)
- Tibetan: ཇིང་ཏ་ལིང་ཏ (jing ta ling ta)
- Turkish: salıncak (tr), yellencek
- Ukrainian: го́йдалка f (hójdalka)
- Vietnamese: xích đu (vi)
- Volapük: pendülöm (vo)
- Welsh: siglen f
- Yiddish: הוידלקע f (hoydlke)
- Zazaki: hêlık (diq) f
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amount of change towards or away from
sideways movement of a cricket ball as it flies through the air
diameter that a lathe can cut
Translations to be checked
Anagrams
Czech
Noun
swing m inan
- swing (dance)
Declension
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Further reading
- swing in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- swing in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English swing.
Pronunciation
Noun
swing m (plural swings)
- swing; several senses
Further reading
Italian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English swing.
Noun
swing m (invariable)
- swing (music and dance style; golf swing)
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English swing.
Pronunciation
Noun
swing m (plural swings)
- swing (a dance and music style)
- swinging (exchange of partners for sex)
Romanian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English swing.
Noun
swing n (uncountable)
- swing
Declension
declension of swing (singular only)
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singular
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n gender
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indefinite articulation
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definite articulation
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nominative/accusative
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(un) swing
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swingul
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genitive/dative
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(unui) swing
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swingului
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vocative
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swingule
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Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English swing.
Pronunciation
Noun
swing m (plural swings)
- swing (dance)
Usage notes
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
Further reading