Swansea

American  

[swon-see, -zee] / ˈswɒn si, -zi /

noun

1. Official Name City and County of Swansea.  a seaport in southern Wales.

2. a city in southeastern Massachusetts.

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Swansea British  

/ ˈswɒnzɪ /

noun

1. a port in S Wales, in Swansea county on an inlet of the Bristol Channel ( Swansea Bay ); a metallurgical and oil-refining centre; university (1920). Pop: 169 880 (2001)

2. a county of S Wales on the Bristol Channel, created in 1996 from part of West Glamorgan: includes the Swansea conurbation and the Gower peninsula. Administrative centre: Swansea. Pop: 224 600 (2003 est). Area: 378 sq km (146 sq miles)

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Etymology

Origin of Swansea

From Old Norse Sveinsey “Sweyn's Island, Sweyn's Inlet,” the name of a Viking trading post founded by the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard (960?–1014)

Example Sentences

She was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell in a club in Swansea, and released her first single Lost in France in 1977.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

"People don't want to swim in seas polluted by sewage," said Dr Benjamin Jones from Project Seagrass, which carried out the research with Swansea University.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

The same year, a warning was issued by South Wales Police to keep dogs on leads following increased sightings of adders in Port Eynon and near Worm's Head in Gower, Swansea.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

About 69% of the latest Welsh total of two year or more waits are in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area; Swansea Bay has no-one waiting that long.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

I should esteem it a great favour, Captain Mourez, if you would allow us to be your passengers as far as Swansea.

From A Desperate Voyage by Knight, Edward Frederick