1
a
: to cause to move vigorously through a wide arc or circle
swing an ax
b
: to cause to sway to and fro
c(1)
: to cause to turn on an axis
(2)
: to cause to face or move in another direction
swing the car into a side road
2
: to suspend so as to permit swaying or turning
3
: to convey by suspension
cranes swinging cargo into the ship's hold
4
a(1)
: to influence decisively
swing a lot of votes
(2)
: to bring around by influence
b
: to handle successfully : manage
wasn't able to swing a new car on his income
swing a deal
5
: to play or sing (something, such as a melody) in the style of swing music
1
: to move freely to and fro especially in suspension from an overhead support
2
a
: to die by hanging
b
: to hang freely from a support
3
: to move in or describe a circle or arc:
a
: to turn on a hinge or pivot
b
: to turn in place
c
: to convey oneself by grasping a fixed support
swing aboard the train
4
a
: to have a steady pulsing rhythm
b
: to play or sing with a lively compelling rhythm
specifically
: to play swing music
5
: to shift or fluctuate from one condition, form, position, or object of attention or favor to another
swing constantly from optimism to pessimism and back—
Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis6
a
: to move along rhythmically
b
: to start up in a smooth vigorous manner
ready to swing into action
7
: to hit or aim at something with a sweeping arm movement
8
a
: to be lively, exciting, and up-to-date
b
: to engage freely in sex
1
: an act or instance of swinging : swinging movement: such as
a(1)
: a stroke or blow delivered with a sweeping arm movement
a batter with a powerful swing
(2)
: a sweeping or rhythmic movement of the body or a bodily part
(3)
: a dance figure in which two dancers revolve with joined arms or hands
(4)
: jazz dancing in moderate tempo with a lilting syncopation
b(1)
: the regular movement of a freely suspended object (such as a pendulum) along an arc and back
(2)
: back and forth sweep
the swing of the tides
c(1)
: steady pulsing rhythm (as in poetry or music)
(2)
: a steady vigorous movement characterizing an activity or creative work
d(1)
: a trend toward a high or low point in a fluctuating cycle (as of business activity)
(2)
: an often periodic shift from one condition, form, position, or object of attention or favor to another
2
a
: liberty of action
b(1)
: the driving power of something swung or hurled
(2)
: steady vigorous advance : driving speed
a train approaching at full swing
3
: the progression of an activity, process, or phase of existence
the work is in full swing
4
: the arc or range through which something swings
5
: something that swings freely from or on a support
especially
: a seat suspended by a rope or chains for swinging to and fro on for pleasure
6
a
: a curving course or outline
b
: a course from and back to a point : a circular tour
7
: jazz that is played (as by a big band) with a steady beat and that uses the harmonic structures of popular songs and the blues as a basis for improvisations and arrangements
8
: a short pass in football thrown to a back running to the outside
1
: of or relating to musical swing
a swing band
swing music
swing dancing
2
: that may swing often decisively either way on an issue or in an election
swing voters
a swing state
Synonyms
Examples of swing in a Sentence
Verb
The sheets swung on the clothesline.
The clock's pendulum stopped swinging.
She sat on the edge of the table, swinging her legs.
The monkeys were swinging from branch to branch high up in the trees.
I swung my suitcase into the backseat of the car.
She sat on the counter and swung her legs over to the other side.
She swung the door open.
Be careful how you swing that ax.
She swung the bat but missed the ball.
She swung her purse at me.
Noun
One swing of the hammer was all it took to drive the nail through the board.
the swing of a pendulum
upward swings in the stock market
The kids were playing on the swings.
We sat on the porch swing and watched the neighbors.
Recent Examples on the WebSteve Waters, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
But the Aiden Brewer is the brand’s first electric coffee maker of any kind, and founder Jake Miller swung by the Bon Appétit test kitchen to give us a chance to check it out.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appétit, 12 Apr. 2024
At the reunion, in October 2003, Ms. Hall swung by Mr. Passaro’s table and took a seat in an empty chair next to him.
—Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Omondi again swung the piece of wood and hit the homeowner, who tried to block the strike with his arm, according to the warrant.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024
Ibotta swung to a profit of $38 million in 2023, after reporting a loss of $55 million the year before.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
But over the next 10 days, as more mail-in ballots poured in, the race slowly began to swing in Low’s favor until the former Campbell mayor finally found himself in the second spot.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Temperatures will continue to swing upward tomorrow, with 70 degrees possible.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
This hippo swung its huge head to the right, then slowly back toward us—then repeated the motion several times, as if engrossed in an intense tennis rally.
—Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Texans are no strangers to wild swings in temperatures.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
The next shot showed a happy looking Wren enjoying some time on the swings at a park.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Hopefully that feels like a new swing in this space and becomes the weirdest version of it.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Silver looked at the 64 possible outcomes based on swings in the six states Biden carried by the narrowest margin in 2020 — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and found that the extra Nebraska vote altered the outcome in only one of these scenarios.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 250 to 214,250.
—Matt Ott, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
This swing can support up to 440 pounds and features a durable steel frame with a waterproof adjustable rope.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
If Trump were to win all of Nebraska's electoral votes, including the Omaha swing district, the electoral college would be tied at 269 to 269, sending the outcome of the election to the U.S. House to be decided.
—Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Dallas News, 10 Mar. 2022
The younger Yaz’s pre-swing bat waggle was the topic, hitting coach Justin Viele said.
—Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Mar. 2023
Lombardo, the sheriff in Las Vegas who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is seeking to unseat first-term Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in November’s general election in the swing Western state.
—Scott Sonner, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022
But at the center of his issues was that Norby still had too much pre-swing movement.
—Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 21 Sep. 2022
Our favorite feature, though, are its semi-swing doors.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 June 2022
Velasquez got Trevor Story on a check-swing third strike to end the inning, putting him in position to pick up the win.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2022
The high-speed Ion3 camera captures club and ball launch data at the point of impact and also records an HD video of the club through the impact zone for post-swing analysis.
—Shaun Tolson, Robb Report, 3 May 2022
Adell simplified his pre-swing approach by removing excess movement and shortened his path to the ball, resulting in better plate discipline and more consistent contact.
—Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2022
Verb
Daniel waited patiently at the front of his bass boat and when the fish tired, Sapir swung the rod so Daniel could get his hands on the fishing line and gingerly pull the bass to the side of the boat.
—Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
But the Aiden Brewer is the brand’s first electric coffee maker of any kind, and founder Jake Miller swung by the Bon Appétit test kitchen to give us a chance to check it out.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appétit, 12 Apr. 2024
At the reunion, in October 2003, Ms. Hall swung by Mr. Passaro’s table and took a seat in an empty chair next to him.
—Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Omondi again swung the piece of wood and hit the homeowner, who tried to block the strike with his arm, according to the warrant.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024
Ibotta swung to a profit of $38 million in 2023, after reporting a loss of $55 million the year before.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
But over the next 10 days, as more mail-in ballots poured in, the race slowly began to swing in Low’s favor until the former Campbell mayor finally found himself in the second spot.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Temperatures will continue to swing upward tomorrow, with 70 degrees possible.
—A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
This hippo swung its huge head to the right, then slowly back toward us—then repeated the motion several times, as if engrossed in an intense tennis rally.
—Alexandra Kirkman, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
The campaign swing will mark the eighth trip either Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris have made to Pennsylvania in 2024.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Texans are no strangers to wild swings in temperatures.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024
The next shot showed a happy looking Wren enjoying some time on the swings at a park.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Hopefully that feels like a new swing in this space and becomes the weirdest version of it.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Silver looked at the 64 possible outcomes based on swings in the six states Biden carried by the narrowest margin in 2020 — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and found that the extra Nebraska vote altered the outcome in only one of these scenarios.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
The four-week average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 250 to 214,250.
—Matt Ott, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
This swing can support up to 440 pounds and features a durable steel frame with a waterproof adjustable rope.
—Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
If Trump were to win all of Nebraska's electoral votes, including the Omaha swing district, the electoral college would be tied at 269 to 269, sending the outcome of the election to the U.S. House to be decided.
—Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Adjective
There’s no time to make mid-swing decisions.
—Dallas News, 10 Mar. 2022
The younger Yaz’s pre-swing bat waggle was the topic, hitting coach Justin Viele said.
—Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Mar. 2023
Lombardo, the sheriff in Las Vegas who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is seeking to unseat first-term Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in November’s general election in the swing Western state.
—Scott Sonner, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022
But at the center of his issues was that Norby still had too much pre-swing movement.
—Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 21 Sep. 2022
Our favorite feature, though, are its semi-swing doors.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 1 June 2022
Velasquez got Trevor Story on a check-swing third strike to end the inning, putting him in position to pick up the win.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2022
The high-speed Ion3 camera captures club and ball launch data at the point of impact and also records an HD video of the club through the impact zone for post-swing analysis.
—Shaun Tolson, Robb Report, 3 May 2022
Adell simplified his pre-swing approach by removing excess movement and shortened his path to the ball, resulting in better plate discipline and more consistent contact.
—Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near swing
Cite this Entry
“Swing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swing. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swing
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to move quickly in a sweeping curve
swing an ax
b
: to sway or cause to sway to and fro or turn on an axis or hinge
swung the door open
c
: to face or move in another direction
go forward, then swing to the right
2
a
: to hang or be hung so as to permit swaying or turning
b
: to die by hanging
c
: to hang freely from support
d
: to change quickly between extremes
sales swung up sharply
3
: to handle successfully : manage
can you swing the purchase of a car
4
a
: to move along with free swaying movements
b
: to start up in a smooth vigorous manner
ready to swing into action
c
: to hit at something with a sweeping movement
5
: to be lively, exciting, and up-to-date
a town that really swings
swinger
noun
ˈswiŋ-ər
swing
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of swinging
2
: a swinging movement, blow, or rhythm
3
: the distance that something swings
a pendulum with a 5-foot swing
4
: a swinging seat usually hung by ropes or chains
5
a
: a curving course or outline
b
: a course beginning and ending at the same point
a swing through town
c
: a sudden change in state or condition
mood swings
swing
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share