1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion
a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
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2
as in lover
a man who courts a woman usually with the goal of marrying her
Grandma claims that she had several swains pursuing her, but it was only Grandpa who won her heart
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swain
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Odette is a shape-shifter, from woman to swan, under sorcerer Rothbart’s spell, only to be broken when a swain pledges true love to her—Siegfried to the rescue.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Odette is a shape-shifter, from woman to swan, under sorcerer Rothbart’s spell, only to be broken when a swain pledges true love to her—Siegfried to the rescue.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
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For now, both women seem perfectly happy in their separate lanes—with Taylor soaking up boyfriend time with Kelce, and Brittany juggling newborn life and her growing business ventures.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
21 Mar. 2025
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Lastly, the boyfriend fit is sleek and fitted, offering a chic, stylish silhouette.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That's just the type of news Scotch lovers need in these uncertain times.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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And cinemas aren’t just offering that kind of enhanced blockbuster experience to bring in crowds beyond die-hard movie lovers.—
William Earl,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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More than a decade later, Stiller now counts Swift’s beau as a costar.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
19 Mar. 2025
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Alessandra Ambrosio is feeling the love with her new beau Buck Palmer!—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Gaga rejects a string of Latin suitors — Alejandro, Fernando, Roberto — via melodies that evoke ABBA and Madonna, over a thumping beat, like Ace of Base gone EDM.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
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This, as Sanders understood, was largely why Hufanga picked Denver over a slew of other suitors, the safety signing a three-year deal in a massive offseason upgrade to the Broncos’ secondary.—
Luca Evans,
The Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Rapper Yella Beezy has been arrested and charged in connection with the 2020 murder of fellow rapper Mo3.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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Jonathan Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, says that while the motivations may be blurry and diverse – including global ideologies of terrorism – the most numerous risks of violence against the public area are homegrown.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Nash retired from basketball in 2014 but then served as the general manager for the Canadian men's national team and became the coaching consultant with the Golden State Warriors.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
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And in December 2023, a man riding a bicycle in a bike lane died after hitting a fire hydrant while avoiding a turning van on the road in San Jose.—
Jovi Dai,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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