swoon
Americanverb (used without object)
-
swoons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swooned,
past participle, past
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swooning
present participle
-
to faint; lose consciousness.
-
to enter a state of hysterical rapture or ecstasy.
The teenagers swooned at the sight of the singing star.
noun
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swoons
plural
verb
-
a literary word for faint
-
to become ecstatic
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
swoonsimple
-
swoonssimple
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have swoonedperfect
-
has swoonedperfect
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am swooningprogressive
-
are swooningprogressive
-
is swooningprogressive
-
have been swooningperfect progressive
-
has been swooningperfect progressive
Past
-
swoonedsimple
-
had swoonedperfect
-
was swooningprogressive
-
were swooningprogressive
-
had been swooningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swoon
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (verb) swo(w)nen “to faint,” originally as gerund swowening, swoghning “act of swooning,” ultimately continuing Old English -swōgan (in compounds) “to rush, overrun, choke”; Middle English (noun) partly derivative of the verb, partly extracted from in (a) swoune, on swoune, alteration of a swoune, aswoune “in a swoon,” as if equivalent to a a- 1 + swoon (noun), but probably continuing Old English āswōgen, past participle of āswōgan “to overcome” ( a- 3 ), or geswōgen (past participle) “senseless, dead”
Explanation
To swoon is to faint, due to lack of blood to the brain. Illness, fear, stress, and even happiness can cause people to swoon. Swoon is an old-fashioned way to say "pass out": back in the day, ladies in corsets were always swooning at the slightest stress or smallest nod from a handsome man. Although this word technically means "to faint," today it has more of a positive connotation and isn't used so literally — people say they swoon when they encounter something so wonderful it makes them dizzy with joy. Chocolate cupcakes, the perfect dress, or a stellar home run could make you swoon.
Vocabulary lists containing swoon
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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.
See Examples For:
The besotted “Dive” would make anyone swoon into whatever arms will have them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But investors may have found a way through the swoon that gripped stocks earlier this month.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
There was a collective swoon when news came through on Thursday that McTominay, the totem, had an iffy tummy, but he's good now.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Technology stocks tumbled on Tuesday, extending a swoon that began in early June, as investors anxiously await the historic SpaceX IPO later this week and retreat from hot parts of the artificial-intelligence playbook.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
I swoon — too exhausted to go one step more — and here comes my father!
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
However, with strong earnings providing fundamental support, those swoons are likely to be the exception rather than the norm.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
However, Xi is far less beholden to market swoons, even though the Chinese economy faces a precarious outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Everybody swoons when they put four and five on weaker teams.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
As “Lara’s Theme” swoons to its wistful finale, I remember the last year and a half of Mami’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
Fortunately the man swoons and Kropp is able to help us.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Some traders have said the drop in bitcoin may be forcing some other selling in the traditional markets, which swooned this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
None of this was good news, but if investors were on board with the long-term prospects of the neocloud, the stock wouldn’t have swooned so hard.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
When he was 19 years old, Hudson swooned for her after watching “Clueless,” the 1995 teen comedy that transformed Alicia Silverstone into an overnight sensation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2025
Jason then joked that maybe he should leave, and give them some privacy, as Swift swooned.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Cecily pressed her hands to her heart and swooned.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Last week, I was swooning over a Pinterest living room before I spotted the disclaimer: AI-modified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The boxing world is swooning over Moses Itauma.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
By Monday morning, with global markets swooning, he said the Iranians were engaging in "constructive" talks with the US.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
“Reminders of Him” could use a little more swooning, a little less of the endless middle stretch of driving and talking, interrupted by wet sprints through thunderstorms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
Phillip asked Emenike, swooning mockingly as he shook Obinze’s hand.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
