Illustration of swan
- swan 1
plural swans
1
plural also swan
: any of various large heavy-bodied long-necked mostly pure white aquatic birds (family Anatidae, especially genus Cygnus) that have webbed feet and are related to but larger than the geese
2
: one that resembles or is likened to a swan
3
capitalized
: the constellation Cygnus
Examples of swan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Leftovers were wrapped in tin foil shaped like swans.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2025
EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023
The music video, in which Tay swans around a Malibu mansion in a pastel two-piece, was more controversial.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for swan
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Noun
That is why Capote’s story about his swans reads so sourly now.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Leftovers were wrapped in tin foil shaped like swans.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
This season reaches its pinnacle of camp with a visit from Oscar Wilde himself (Jordan Sebastian Waller), who swans through a crowd of Manhattan elite dropping droll asides after the premiere of his first play, Vera; or, The Nihilists.
—EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023
The music video, in which Tay swans around a Malibu mansion in a pastel two-piece, was more controversial.
—Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for swan
Cite this Entry
“Swan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
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