swinging

American  

[swing-ing] / ˈswɪŋ ɪŋ /

adjective

superlative

swingingest

1. characterized by or capable of swinging, being swung, or causing to swing.

2. intended for swinging upon, by, from, or in.

   the swinging devices in a playground.

3. Slang. excellent; first-rate.

4. Slang. lively, active, and modern; hip.

5. Slang.

   1. free and uninhibited sexually.

      a swinging bachelor.

   2. exchanging spouses for sex.

      swinging married couples.

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noun

1. the activity or act of a person who swings.

2. Slang.

   1. the act or practice of being free and uninhibited sexually.

   2. the exchanging of spouses for sex.

swinging British  

/ ˈswɪŋɪŋ /

adjective

1. moving rhythmically to and fro

2. slang modern and lively

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noun

1. slang the practice of swapping sexual partners in a group, esp habitually

Other Word Forms

• swingingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of swinging

First recorded in 1550–60; swing ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Hansen then described the translunar injection burn -- a maneuver that brought Orion within 200 kilometers of Earth before swinging around onto a new course for the Moon.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

The firm reported a statutory pre-tax profit of £8.3m in the year to September, swinging from a £16.2m pre-tax loss a year earlier.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

It might not have been quite the real thing, but it was unmistakably Tiger Woods, in a red shirt, swinging a golf club in public again.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

See: Stocks are swinging like crazy while the S&P 500 goes nowhere in 2026.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

All they saw was a huge branch swinging through empty air.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• fluctuating