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• swan
  swan

  noun

  any of several large, stately aquatic birds of the subfamily Anserinae, having a long, slender neck and usually pure-white plumage in the adult.
• Swan
  Swan

  noun

  Sir Joseph Wilson, 1828–1914, British chemist, electrical engineer, and inventor.

swan

¹ American  

[swon] / swɒn /

noun

• swans
  plural

1. any of several large, stately aquatic birds of the subfamily Anserinae, having a long, slender neck and usually pure-white plumage in the adult.

2. a person or thing of unusual beauty, excellence, purity, or the like.

3. Literary. a person who sings sweetly or a poet.

4. Astronomy. Swan, the constellation Cygnus.

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swan ² American  

[swon] / swɒn /

verb (used without object)

• swans,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swanned,
  past participle,  past
• swanning
  present participle

1. Midland and Southern U.S. Older Use. to swear or declare (used withI ).

   Well, I swan, I never expected to see you here!

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Swan ³ American  

[swon] / swɒn /

noun

1. Sir Joseph Wilson, 1828–1914, British chemist, electrical engineer, and inventor.

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swan ¹ British  

/ swɒn /

noun

1. any large aquatic bird of the genera Cygnus and Coscoroba, having a long neck and usually a white plumage: family Anatidae, order Anseriformes

2. rare

   1. a poet

   2. ( capital when part of a title or epithet )

      the Swan of Avon (Shakespeare)

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verb

1. informal (intr; usually foll by around or about) to wander idly

Swan ² British  

/ swɒn /

noun

1. a river in SW Western Australia, rising as the Avon northeast of Narrogin and flowing northwest and west to the Indian Ocean below Perth. Length: about 240 km (150 miles)

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Swan ³ British  

/ swɒn /

noun

1. Sir Joseph Wilson. 1828–1914, English physicist and chemist, who developed the incandescent electric light (1880) independently of Edison

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• swanlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swans
  plural

Participles

• swanning
  present
• swanned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swan
  simple
• swans
  simple
• have swanned
  perfect
• has swanned
  perfect
• am swanning
  progressive
• are swanning
  progressive
• is swanning
  progressive
• have been swanning
  perfect progressive
• has been swanning
  perfect progressive

Past

• swanned
  simple
• had swanned
  perfect
• was swanning
  progressive
• were swanning
  progressive
• had been swanning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swan
  simple
• will have swanned
  perfect
• will be swanning
  progressive
• will have been swanning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of swan¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Schwan, Old Norse svanr

Origin of swan²

1775–85, probably continuing dial. (N England) I s'wan, shortening of I shall warrant

Explanation

In "The Ugly Duckling," a young bird is mistaken for a duck until it grows up to be a beautiful swan. A swan is a large bird with a long, elegant neck. You're most likely to see swans in the water, but they also spend some time on land. Baby swans are called cygnets, and as adults, they're either cobs (if male), or pens (if female). If you're lucky enough to see a whole group of swans swimming or flying together, you can call it a bevy of swans. Swan comes from a root meaning "to sing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swan Swan swans swanned swanning

People living near a lake said they have been left "broken" and "devastated" following the death of a swan family.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

In January, she starred as Odette and the black swan Odile in “Swan Lake” and in May she performed “Coppelia.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Its HBO Max sibling “Hacks” scored 24 nominations for its fifth season swan song, setting a new record for the top comedy category.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Cue the violins, because after Jerome Powell’s swan song Fed rate meeting, it’s his final two weeks in the hot seat.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

“They might,” said Arianne, “but peacocks are vain, proud creatures, strutting about in all those gaudy colors. Give me a swan serene in white or beautiful in black.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Her posts promoting Swan Beauty during her bachelorette party generated exposure and new business for the company, said Colby Mitchell, its CEO and co-founder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" will be published in Britain and other countries on September 22 and translated into 12 languages.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

As Haberman and her colleague Jonathan Swan have detailed, Harp’s main job is offering a steady stream of reassurances to Trump.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

And he definitely isn’t motivated by pure romance in this adaptation, written by New Swan founding artistic and producing director Eli Simon and Anna Fitzgerald, with music by Zachary Dietz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

He was then to deliver a message to Lord Ashton at his club instructing him to meet Lady Constance for lunch at the Dying Swan Tearoom in two hours’ time.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

Castle Point Borough Council said it was "very saddened" by the loss of the swans and recognised the impact the deaths would have on residents.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

The countless repetitions give you the most beautiful art form where swans glide, fairies dance and every year a giant nutcracker appears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Change has become the norm, black swans proliferate like starlings, and the ability to navigate through the flux makes the difference between outsize success and obsolescence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

Mary, on the other hand, is a clumsy bird who, in Hadlow’s telling, becomes a perfectly capable duckling swimming fiercely amid a bevy of swans.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

I hovered in the doorway, frowning and thinking of swans gliding away in the pond in the park.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

The judges liberally doled out scores of 10 to the performers, who swanned deftly across the parquet flooring in colorful, “Alice in Wonderland”-inspired costumes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

But Laing told The Sunday Times it was wrong to assume he "just swanned in".

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2024

A recent Tuesday night found him as Santa-in-residence at Stoup Brewing in Ballard, where, trailed by a photographer, Lorang swanned around like a minor celebrity, mingling with patrons and posing for photos with fans.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021

Under cloudless skies, ladies swanned about in colorful broad-brimmed hats and gentlemen donned seersucker suits, the trademark pageantry of the sport of kings.

From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2021

He kept one eye on Sam Houston, who was known for his wild pitches, and the other on Lula’s older cousin, Fern Spitty, who swanned about nearby, twirling her white lace-trimmed parasol.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Whether you’re swanning around with an iPhone, a gold Rolex watch, a diamond ring or a string of pearls, try not to flash them when you’re out in public.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

"It is one thing swanning around saying 'this is a wonderful team to play in', 'we are creating the best environment'," Pietersen told Sky Sports.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2023

“So the last thing you’d expect is for proto-sharks and proto-bony fish to be swanning around at the same time.”

From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022

Though she looks young and hip, she’s truly an old soul who dreams of living like her dear grandmother, swanning about in colorful caftans, not caring about what other people think.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2022

She took no time for posturing or swanning, but tilted immediately off in a stiff dive, angling toward the west side of the tank.

From The Little Lady of the Big House by Jack London