swine
Americannoun
plural
swine-
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.
-
the domestic hog, Sus scrofa.
-
a coarse, gross, or brutishly sensual person.
-
a contemptible person.
noun
-
a coarse or contemptible person
-
another name for a pig
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swine
before 900; Middle English; Old English swīn; cognate with German Schwein hog, Latin suīnus (adj.) porcine; akin to sow 2
Explanation
A swine is a pig or a big ol’ nasty hog. Swine have short legs, thick bodies, and they eat just about anything. If someone acts like a pig, call him a swine. Although it’s old fashioned, the word swine comes in handy if you need another word for hog, like if you’re really into writing poems about pigs. Swine — which is also the plural form, like fish — are common farm animals. Some are eaten as bacon, some are kept as pets. Swine themselves are omnivorous, so they'll eat meat, vegetables, or, well, garbage.
Vocabulary lists containing swine
Milkweed
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Streetcar Named Desire
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Wishing Spell
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Swine fever does not affect humans but is highly contagious and lethal for pigs, storing up potentially devastating consequences for the pork sector.
From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025
Sen. Joni Ernst at the Cattle and Swine Barn, and meets with members of the Iowa Pork Producers, a trade organization.
From Washington Times • Aug. 10, 2023
Upside risks to inflation remained given the threat of an El Nino weather pattern and the resurgence of African Swine Flu, the economic planning agency said in a statement.
From Reuters • May 5, 2023
Swine have receptors that overlap with both birds and humans, and if a pig were infected with both, the viruses could swap genes and gain the ability to infect the other species, he said.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2023
Swine, agazin, and some of the smaller species of antelope, here abound to such an extent, that the peasants attempt no crop but cotton, exchanging the raw material for what they need of other produce.
From The Highlands of Ethiopia by Harris, William Cornwallis
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.
