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
Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
The only real originality in the accounts of Jesus’ virgin birth is their distinctly Jewish and prudish tone, with the impregnation dignified and at arm’s length rather than represented, as in the Hellenistic myths, as a shower of gold or the lovemaking of an amorous swan.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 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
Bus Pass by Paul Goldstein Here, for a moment, a swan rests against a busy road, with a bus passing by.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2025
The only real originality in the accounts of Jesus’ virgin birth is their distinctly Jewish and prudish tone, with the impregnation dignified and at arm’s length rather than represented, as in the Hellenistic myths, as a shower of gold or the lovemaking of an amorous swan.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 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 3 Apr. 2025.
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