swank
1 Americannoun
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dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
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a swagger.
adjective
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stylish or elegant.
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pretentiously stylish.
verb (used without object)
verb
verb
noun
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Also called: swankpot. a swaggering or conceited person
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elegance or style, esp of a showy kind
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swagger; ostentation
adjective
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was joined in the top 10 by another U.K. singer, Raye, who favors swank Sixties outfits and has a brassy hit called “Where Is My Husband!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
EVANSTON, Ill.— Bryan and Kay Keenan just paid $2 million for a 1,600-square-foot apartment in The Mather, a swank retirement community here.
From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025
The press conference was held at the Dorchester’s swank Hotel Eden, located just off Rome’s Via Veneto.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024
As always, Goldberg’s latest book is funny, violent and a little bit swank.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2023
Land on all those people with their swank clothes and cool eyes staring up at him.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
