swoon

American  

[swoon] / swun /

verb (used without object)

1. to faint; lose consciousness.

2. to enter a state of hysterical rapture or ecstasy.

   The teenagers swooned at the sight of the singing star.

---

noun

1. a faint or fainting fit; syncope.

swoon British  

/ swuːn /

verb

1. a literary word for faint

2. to become ecstatic

---

noun

1. an instance of fainting

Other Word Forms

• swooning adjective
• swooningly adverb
• unswooning adjective

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.

Example Sentences

An old soul with with a huge, commanding voice, his catalog hovers between the orchestral swoon of pre-rock ballads, the pristine melodies of Anita Baker and the rangy, resilient yearning of his hometown’s soul tradition.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

He’s TACO’d on Greenland after his threats to annex the autonomously governed island caused markets to swoon, ultimately settling for what he described as the “concept of a deal” with Europe.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

As scary as April’s Liberation Day stock swoon was, some Americans took advantage of the tumult to boost their gains in what turned out to eventually be a good year for the S&P 500.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

The psychology of this team is something that would make Sigmund Freud swoon.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

That wasn’t a challenge; I was always pale, and my recent swoon had left a light sheen of sweat on my face.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Related Words

• pass out