SWING (swung)

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does swing mean? 

• SWING (noun)
  The noun SWING has 9 senses:

1. a state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity

2. mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth

3. a sweeping blow or stroke

4. changing location by moving back and forth

5. a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz

6. a jaunty rhythm in music

7. the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it

8. in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball

9. a square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them

  Familiarity information: SWING used as a noun is familiar.

• SWING (verb)
  The verb SWING has 13 senses:

1. move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

2. move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner

3. change direction with a swinging motion; turn

4. influence decisively

5. make a big sweeping gesture or movement

6. hang freely

7. hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement

8. alternate dramatically between high and low values

9. live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style

10. have a certain musical rhythm

11. be a social swinger; socialize a lot

12. play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm

13. engage freely in promiscuous sex, often with the husband or wife of one's friends

  Familiarity information: SWING used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

it took time to get into the swing of things

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

action; activeness; activity (the state of being active)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

plaything; toy (an artifact designed to be played with)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "swing"):

trapeze (a swing used by circus acrobats)

Holonyms ("swing" is a part of...):

playground (yard consisting of an outdoor area for children's play)

Derivation:

swing (hang freely)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A sweeping blow or stroke

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

he took a wild swing at my head

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)

Derivation:

swing (hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement)

swing (make a big sweeping gesture or movement)

swing (move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Changing location by moving back and forth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

swing; swinging; vacillation

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

motion; move; movement (the act of changing location from one place to another)

Derivation:

swing (change direction with a swinging motion; turn)

swing (move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

jive; swing; swing music

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

jazz (a genre of popular music that originated in New Orleans around 1900 and developed through increasingly complex styles)

Derivation:

swing (have a certain musical rhythm)

swingy (characterized by a buoyant rhythm)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A jaunty rhythm in music

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

lilt; swing

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

rhythmicity (the rhythmic property imparted by the accents and relative durations of notes in a piece of music)

Derivation:

swing (play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm)

swing (have a certain musical rhythm)

swingy (characterized by a buoyant rhythm)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

golf shot; golf stroke; swing

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

shot; stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "swing"):

downswing (a swing downward of a golf club)

teeoff (the act of hitting a golf ball from the teeing ground at the start of each hole)

shank (a poor golf stroke in which the heel of the club hits the ball)

sclaff (a poor golf stroke in which the club head hits the ground before hitting the ball)

approach; approach shot (a relatively short golf shot intended to put the ball onto the putting green)

putt; putting (hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter)

explosion (a golf shot from a bunker that typically moves sand as well as the golf ball)

drive; driving (hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver)

draw; hook; hooking (a golf shot that curves to the left for a right-handed golfer)

fade; slice; slicing (a golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer)

Derivation:

swing (move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting)

Sense 8

Meaning:

In baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

baseball swing; cut; swing

Context example:

he took a vicious cut at the ball

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

shot; stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("swing" is a kind of...):

contra danse; contradance; contredanse; country-dance; country dancing (a type of folk dance in which couples are arranged in sets or face one another in a line)

Holonyms ("swing" is a part of...):

square dance; square dancing (American country dancing in which couples form squares)

• SWING (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

swing a bat

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swing"):

wind up (give a preliminary swing to the arm pitching)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The girls swing the wooden sticks

Derivation:

swing (the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it)

swing (a sweeping blow or stroke)

swinger (someone who swings sports implements)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

sway; swing

Context example:

He swung back

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

move back and forth (move in one direction and then into the opposite direction)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swing"):

waver; weave (sway from side to side)

lash (lash or flick about sharply)

oscillate; vibrate (move or swing from side to side regularly)

brachiate (swing from one hold to the next)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

The wooden sticks swing

Derivation:

swing (changing location by moving back and forth)

swinger (someone who swings sports implements)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Change direction with a swinging motion; turn

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

swing forward

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

swing (changing location by moving back and forth)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Influence decisively

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

swing; swing over

Context example:

This action swung many votes over to his side

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make a big sweeping gesture or movement

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

sweep; swing; swing out

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

handle; manage; wield (handle effectively)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

swing (a sweeping blow or stroke)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Hang freely

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

dangle; drop; swing

Context example:

The light dropped from the ceiling

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

hang (be suspended or hanging)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swing"):

droop; loll (hang loosely or laxly)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence example:

The lights swing from the ceiling

Derivation:

swing (mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth)

swinging (changing location by moving back and forth)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

The soccer player began to swing at the referee

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

aim; direct; take; take aim; train (point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

swing (a sweeping blow or stroke)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Alternate dramatically between high and low values

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

the market is swinging up and down

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swing"):

fluctuate; vacillate; waver (move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 9

Meaning:

Live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The Woodstock generation attempted to swing freely

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

live (lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 10

Meaning:

Have a certain musical rhythm

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The music has to swing

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

swing (a jaunty rhythm in music)

swing (a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Be a social swinger; socialize a lot

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

get around; swing

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

socialise; socialize (take part in social activities; interact with others)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 12

Meaning:

Play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

play (play on an instrument)

Domain category:

music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

swing (a jaunty rhythm in music)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Engage freely in promiscuous sex, often with the husband or wife of one's friends

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

There were many swinging couples in the 1960's

Hypernyms (to "swing" is one way to...):

fornicate (have sex without being married)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

swinger (a person who engages freely in promiscuous sex)

 Context examples 

But, see here, Jim—tit for tat—you save Long John from swinging.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

François complied, whereupon Buck trotted in, laughing triumphantly, and swung around into position at the head of the team.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

See, now, to the poor souls who swing at either end of his yard-arm!

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As he swung on his heel to go on, a tramp, going in the same direction, begged him over his shoulder.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

As it filled, the Ghost’s bow swung off and I had to put the wheel down a few spokes and steady her.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A device designed to join two objects and allow them to swing relative to one another.

(Hinge Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

The map reveals extreme temperature swings from one side of the planet to the other, and hints that a possible reason for this is the presence of lava flows.

(Spitzer Maps Climate Patterns on a Super-Earth, NASA)

At night, the west side grew faster as the stem swung the other way.

(Sunflowers move from east to west, and back, by the clock, NSF)

I never do swing a cat.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He simply swung his pack upon his back and continued upon his march.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)