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Synonyms

swine

American  
[swahyn] / swaɪn /

noun

plural

swine
  1. any stout, cloven-hoofed artiodactyl of the Old World family Suidae, having a thick hide sparsely covered with coarse hair, a disklike snout, and an often short, tasseled tail: now of worldwide distribution and hunted or raised for its meat and other products.

  2. the domestic hog, Sus scrofa.

  3. a coarse, gross, or brutishly sensual person.

  4. a contemptible person.


swine British  
/ swaɪn /

noun

  1. a coarse or contemptible person

  2. another name for a pig

"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

swine Idioms  

Other Word Forms

  • swinelike adjective
  • swinish adjective
  • swinishly adverb
  • swinishness noun

Etymology

Origin of swine

before 900; Middle English; Old English swīn; cognate with German Schwein hog, Latin suīnus (adj.) porcine; akin to sow 2

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.

Spain has found another seven dead wild boars infected with African swine fever near Barcelona, increasing the outbreak's total to nine cases, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday.

From Barron's

Spain's pork industry is "very concerned" by a growing African swine fever outbreak among wild boars that has sparked jitters about the world's third-largest producer of the meat and its derivatives.

From Barron's

Zoetis saw a particularly steep decline in revenue for its swine and poultry medications.

From Barron's

Zoetis saw a particularly steep decline in revenue for its swine and poultry medicines.

From Barron's

Taiwan has culled dozens of pigs after detecting its first cases of African swine fever, with the agriculture ministry saying Thursday no other infections have been detected elsewhere on the island.

From Barron's