swoon
Americanverb (used without object)
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swoons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swooned,
past participle, past
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swooning
present participle
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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
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a literary word for faint
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to become ecstatic
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swoonsimple
-
swoonssimple
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have swoonedperfect
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has swoonedperfect
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am swooningprogressive
-
are swooningprogressive
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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:
And even though levels of leverage in certain corners of the market have ebbed from their peak levels seen shortly before July’s artificial-intelligence swoon, risks remain.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
Investors aren’t bracing for some shocking development that would cause a market swoon, but they’re unusually concerned about some specific stocks and sectors, according to Citadel Securities strategist Scott Rubner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
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
With hands clasped over his heart, Tommy feigned a swoon; then, leaping like the Frog Prince, he went off to entertain his older fans behind the lunch counter.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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
The soundtrack swoons with the ’60s pop ballad “I Will Follow Him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025
Fortunately the man swoons and Kropp is able to help us.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Within about 10 days the S&P 500 had shed nearly 14% as stocks swooned following the “Liberation Day” tariff announcement at the start of April.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
The company’s shares have swooned since the Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
He lay there motionless, for so long a time that Gimli wondered if he had swooned or fallen asleep again.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
You haven't seen such swooning since the golden age of the Hollywood diva.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
These clips live on as fodder for collective swooning and fan-made montages.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
They love complaining about the characters they hate and swooning over the characters they adore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
It’s been the favorite since sending critics and film fans swooning upon release in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
Eleanor was trying really hard not to be overawed by Park's driving skills, but every time he changed lanes or checked the rearview mirror, she caught herself swooning.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
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.
