swank

[ swangk ]

See synonyms for: swank swanker swankest on Thesaurus.com

noun

dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
a swagger.

adjective,swank·er, swank·est.

stylish or elegant.
pretentiously stylish.

verb (used without object)

to swagger in behavior; show off.

Origin of swank

1800–10; compare Scots swank lively, perhaps ultimately representing back formation from Old English swancor lithe; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple, Middle High German swanken to sway

Words Nearby swank

Other definitions for swank (2 of 2)

swank²

[ swangk ]

verb

a simple past tense of swink.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swank in a sentence

The 140-square-mile island, with only one school and no stoplights, is sustained by tourism to his swank properties.
Hawaiian paradise controlled by billionaire Larry Ellison is hit hard by COVID | Verne Kopytoff | November 21, 2020 | Fortune
His dream house mostly consists of some pretty swank rooms for playing video games and watching movies, but there is also a chef’s kitchen and pool tucked somewhere into the design.
A Parent's Guide to Hiking with a Chatterbox | Ryan Van Bibber | November 7, 2020 | Outside Online

British Dictionary definitions for swank

swank

/ (swæŋk) informal /

verb

(intr) to show off or swagger

noun

Also called: swankpot British a swaggering or conceited person
mainly US elegance or style, esp of a showy kind

swagger; ostentation

adjective

another word (esp US) for swanky

Origin of swank

C19: perhaps from Middle High German swanken to sway; see swag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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