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Swing definition

swĭng
swinging swings swung
See word origin
Frequency:
To turn in place on or as if on a hinge or pivot.
verb
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To ride on a swing.
verb
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3
To hit at something with a sweeping motion of the arm.

Swung at the ball.

verb
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To move along with an easy, swaying gait.

Swinging down the road.

verb
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A course or tour that returns to the starting point.

A swing across the state while campaigning.

noun
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To propel oneself from one place or position to another by grasping a fixed support.

Swinging through the trees.

verb
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To shift from one attitude, interest, condition, or emotion to another; vacillate.
verb
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To have a subtle, intuitively felt rhythm or sense of rhythm.
verb
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The sweep or scope of something that swings.

The pendulum's swing is 12 inches.

noun
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The manner in which one swings something, such as a bat or golf club.
noun
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A shift from one attitude, position, or condition to another.

A swing to conservatism.

noun
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Freedom of action.

The children have free swing in deciding what color to paint their room.

noun
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A seat suspended from above, as by ropes, on which one can ride back and forth for recreation.
noun
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The normal rhythm of life or pace of activities.

Back in the swing.

noun
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(music) Relating to or performing swing.

A swing band.

adjective
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Determining an outcome; decisive.

The swing vote.

adjective
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To sway or move backward and forward with regular movement, as a freely hanging object or a ship at anchor; oscillate.
verb
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To turn or pivot, as on a hinge or swivel.

The door swung open.

verb
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To move backward and forward on a swing.
verb
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To cause (a hanging object) to sway backward and forward; specif., to cause (a person on a swing) to move backward and forward by pushing or pulling the swing.
verb
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To cause to turn or pivot, as on a hinge or swivel.

To swing a door open.

verb
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To cause to hang freely, so as to be capable of easy movement.

To swing a hammock.

verb
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To cause to move in a curve.

To swing a car around a corner.

verb
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To head (a ship or aircraft) toward each of the points of the compass in order to determine compass error resulting from deviation.
verb
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The act or process of swinging.
noun
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To move laterally or in a curve.

The car swung over to the curb.

verb
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(slang) To be put to death by hanging.
verb
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A steady, vigorous rhythm or movement, as in verse.
noun
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The definition of a swing is a movement in a back and forth direction or a piece of playground equipment for moving backward and forward.

An example of a swing is the movement of a yo yo being rocked back and forth by its string.

An example of a swing is a board of wood with two ropes on each side that is found hanging from a play structure at a park.

noun
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Swing means allowing for a back and forth movement, a work shift or having the power to decide something.

An example of swing used as an adjective is the phrase a swing latch which means a latch that moves back and forth to open or close.

An example of swing used as an adjective is the phrase swing shift which means a work period between the day shift and the night shift, usually 4 pm to midnight.

An example of swing used as an adjective is the phrase a swing vote which means a vote that will determine who wins in an election.

adjective
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To swing is defined as to move back and forth.

An example of to swing is to sit on a board hanging from a tree and move back and forward.

verb
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To engage in promiscuous sex.
verb
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To have a sexual orientation.

Which way does he swing?

verb
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To cause to move back and forth, as on a swing.
verb
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To cause to move in a broad arc or curve.

Swing a bat; swung the car over.

verb
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To suspend so as to sway or turn freely.

Swung a hammock between two trees.

verb
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To cause to shift from one attitude, position, opinion, or condition to another.
verb
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(music) To play (music) with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.
verb
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To cause to move with a sweeping motion.

Swinging his arms.

verb
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To lift and convey with a sweeping motion.

Swung the cargo onto the deck.

verb
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To suspend on hinges.

Swing a shutter.

verb
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To cause to turn on hinges.

Swung the door shut.

verb
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To manage or arrange successfully.

Swing a deal.

verb
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To bring around to the desired result.

Swing an election.

verb
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A blow or stroke executed with a sweeping motion of the arm.
noun
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A regular movement up or down, as in stock prices.
noun
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A swaying, graceful motion.

Has a swing to her walk.

noun
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A sweep back and forth.

The swing of a bird across the sky.

noun
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A type of popular dance music developed about 1935 and based on jazz but employing a larger band, less improvisation, and simpler harmonic and rhythmic patterns.
noun
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A ballroom dance performed to this music.
noun
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A subtle, intuitively felt rhythmic quality or sense of rhythm.
noun
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To have an exciting rhythmic quality.

Music that really swings.

verb
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(slang) To be ultra-fashionable, sophisticated, active, etc., esp. in the pursuit of pleasure.
verb
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To move in a curve, esp. in order to go around something.

The car swung around to avoid the obstacle in the road.

verb
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(informal) To move, travel, or come (by, over to, around to, etc.) in a casual manner, as by automobile.

They swung by to pick us up.

verb
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To hang; be suspended.
verb
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(informal) To be put to death by hanging.
verb
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To move or alternate, often rapidly, between extremes, or from one position or condition to another.

His moods swinging between joy and despair, stock prices that swung wildly.

verb
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To arrive at a final point in this way.

Oil prices finally swung into a tolerable range.

verb
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To engage in casual sexual relations, esp. in an open, deliberate way.
verb
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To exchange partners with other couples and engage in sexual activity.
verb
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To play (music) in the style of swing.
verb
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To move or wave (a weapon, tool, bat, etc.) with a sweeping motion; flourish; brandish.
verb
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To lift or hoist with a sweeping motion.
verb
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(slang) To cause to come about successfully; manage with the desired results.

I'll take a vacation this summer if I can swing it.

verb
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To sway; influence.

Bribery allegations were likely to swing voters' opinion.

verb
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The arc, or the length of the arc, through which something swings.

The swing of a pendulum.

noun
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The manner of swinging; specif., the manner of striking with a golf club, baseball bat, the arm, etc.
noun
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Freedom to do as one wishes or is naturally inclined.

Given full swing in the matter.

noun
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A free, relaxed motion, as in walking.
noun
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A sweeping blow or stroke.
noun
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The course, development, or movement of some activity, business, etc.
noun
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The power, or force, behind something swung or thrown; impetus.
noun
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Rhythm, as of poetry or music.
noun
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A device, as a seat hanging from ropes or chains, on which one can sit and swing backward and forward as a form of amusement.
noun
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A trip or tour.

A swing around the country.

noun
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A style of jazz, esp. in its development from about 1935 to 1945, characterized by the use of large bands, fast tempos, and written arrangements for ensemble playing.
noun
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(informal, business) Regular upward and downward change in the price of stocks or in some other business activity.
noun
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Of, in, or playing swing (music)
adjective
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Of or having the ability to sway an election or vote.

Independents were the majority of the swing vote.

adjective
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A Java toolkit for developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It includes elements such as menus, toolbars and dialog boxes. Swing is written in Java and is thus platform independent, unlike the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), which provides platform-specific code. Swing also has more sophisticated interface capabilities than AWT and offers such features as tabbed panes and the ability to change images on buttons. Swing is included in the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) which are provided in the Java Developers Toolkit (JDK). See JFC and JDK.
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(intransitive) To move backward and forward, especially rotating about or hanging from a fixed point.

The plant swung in the breeze.

verb
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(intransitive) To dance.
verb
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(intransitive) To ride on a swing.

The children laughed as they swung.

verb
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(intransitive) To participate in the swinging lifestyle; to participate in wife-swapping.
verb
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(intransitive) To hang from the gallows.
verb
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(intransitive, cricket, of a ball) To move sideways in its trajectory.
verb
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(intransitive) To fluctuate or change.

It wasn't long before the crowd's mood swung towards restless irritability.

verb
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To move (an object) backward and forward; to wave.

He swung his sword as hard as he could.

verb
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To change (a numerical result); especially to change the outcome of an election.
verb
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To make (something) work; especially to afford (something) financially.

If it's not too expensive, I think we can swing it.

verb
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(music) To play notes that are in pairs by making the first of the pair slightly longer than written (augmentation) and the second, resulting in a bouncy, uneven rhythm.
verb
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(cricket) (of a bowler) To make the ball move sideways in its trajectory.
verb
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(intransitive, boxing) To move one's arm in a punching motion.
verb
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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"

verb
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(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.

verb
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(carpentry) To put (a door, gate, etc.) on hinges so that it can swing or turn.
verb
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(nautical) To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor.

A ship swings with the tide.

verb
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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.

noun
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A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing.
noun
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A hanging seat in a children's playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing.
noun
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A dance style.
noun
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(music) The genre of music associated with this dance style.
noun
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The amount of change towards or away from something.
  • (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.
noun
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(cricket) Sideways movement of the ball as it flies through the air.
noun
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The diameter that a lathe can cut.
noun
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In a musical theater production, a performer who understudies several roles.
noun
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A basic dance step in which a pair link hands and turn round together in a circle.
noun
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Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.
noun
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Burke.

To prevent anything which may prove an obstacle to the full swing of his genius.

noun
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To move back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above.
verb
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To play with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.
verb
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To be lively, trendy, and exciting.
verb
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The act or an instance of swinging; movement back and forth or in one particular direction.
noun
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To walk, trot, etc. with freely swaying, relaxed movements of the limbs.
verb
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To deliver or aim a blow; strike (at)
verb
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To exchange sex partners. Used especially of married couples.
verb
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in full swing
  • At the highest level of activity or operation.
idiom
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in full swing
  • in complete and active operation
  • going on without reserve or restraint
idiom
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
swing
Plural:
swings

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Origin of swing

  • Middle English swingen to beat, brandish from Old English swingan to flog, strike, swing

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English swingen, from Old English swingan, from Proto-Germanic *swinganą (cf. Low German swingen, German schwingen 'to brandish', Swedish svinga), from Proto-Indo-European *su̯eng- (cf. Scottish Gaelic seang 'thin').

    From Wiktionary

  • From the above verb.

    From Wiktionary

Swing Sentence Examples

  • Cousin Arthur made me a swing in the ash tree.

  • His broad shoulders swayed with the swing of his stride.

  • It was the usual swing down to Norfolk.

  • She took a hacking swing at the grass.

More sentences

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Also Mentioned In

Words near swing in the Dictionary