Swing Meaning
/ˈswɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo rotate about an off-centre fixed point.
verbTo dance.
Sentence Examples
The banquet was in full swing.
The swing is moving up and down.
He took a wild swing at the ball.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To cross the river, the monkey used a vine to ____ from one tree to another.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children love to play on the ____ in the park and see how high they can go into the air today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 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[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC:
"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."
— 2012 February 29, Troy Denning, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, Random House, →ISBN, page 3:
"Guardiola swung haymakers in all directions; he presented one of the world’s richest clubs as a noble, put-upon underdog; and he established a siege mentality with such coruscating precision that Football Daily instantly bet the farm on City winning the Premier League this season."
— 2023 February 10, Rob Smyth, “Pep Guardiola comes out swinging haymakers in all directions”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2023:
"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."
— 2017 October 13, anonymous author, “My life in sex: ‘We have rules for swinging: no one cheating on their wives, no one who supports Trump’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
"My husband wasn’t so lucky and didn’t get to swing at all so was very disappointed. I’m desperate to do it all again but he’s not so keen."
— 2023 October 26, Eleanor Gordon-Smith, anonymous quotee, “My husband persuaded me to swing. I’m desperate to do it again, he’s not – what should I do?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To cross the river, the monkey used a vine to ____ from one tree to another.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children love to play on the ____ in the park and see how high they can go into the air today.