swordsman
Americannoun
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Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of swordsman
Explanation
A swordsman is a person who is very good at swordplay or fencing. If you are looking to find a swordsman, you should look among Shakespeare's characters. While some people use the word swordsman whether they're talking about a man or a woman, it's increasingly common to use swordswoman for female fencers. These days, most swordsmen take part in the sport of fencing, while in the past a swordsman might actually have engaged in battle or dueled with swords to settle an argument. Before the mid-1600s, the word was swordman, from the Old English sweordfreca.
Vocabulary lists containing swordsman
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:
Two years later, Kilmer starred as a mercenary swordsman in Willow, the fantasy adventure directed by Ron Howard.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025
Not to worry, though: Sargon is just as slick a swordsman, with the ability to swing two blades at once, pull off superhuman acrobatics and even stop and rewind time.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
Cyrano de Bergerac is, we are told, a “soldier, poet, philosopher, magician, playwright … and the best swordsman in Paris.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2022
Joining Lupin in this adventure besides the sharpshooter Jigen is their ally, the swordsman Goemon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2021
The younger of the pair, a teen whose lambskin hat shielded eyes as dark and riveting as jet, was clearly the more talented swordsman.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
On any given day, the selfie sticks waving in the air along the upper deck give the impression of a band of swordsmen setting off on a raid.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 24, 2018
A vast and mysterious land with magic spells, valiant swordsmen, contested rulers and epic tribal battles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2016
Sure, the show offers cartoonish heroics like Aliff’s burly Porthos easily outfighting four swordsmen.
From Washington Post ● May 16, 2016
Here Stuart comes closer to the modern realm, as the swordsmen fight not for blood, but, more sportingly, to lop buttons off the opponent’s shirt.
From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2012
Outside the door he had his four best swordsmen, so no one could enter the tiny chapel, but, still, there were a lot of people screaming where the Brute Squad should have been.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
