1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion
a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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
The hustling, athletic girl will forget the links and make sheep’s eyes at her amorous swain.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2022
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
The hustling, athletic girl will forget the links and make sheep’s eyes at her amorous swain.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
-
The pop star's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, met up with the couple at the show and discussed it in a May episode of his New Heights podcast.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
-
The fashion influencer’s boyfriend, tennis pro Taylor Fritz, was knocked out of the Grand Slam tournament after his defeat by French player Gaël Monfils.—
Hannah Malach,
WWD,
19 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The event brings together hundreds of religious motorcycle lovers, while raising funds to benefit St Luke’s Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
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Elsewhere in the world of watch lovers, Kevin O’Leary was on Fox celebrating his auction win of a unique Chanel Boy.—
Sophie Furley,
Robb Report,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Haack follows her new beau on Instagram, but his account is private.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
13 Jan. 2025
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Michael has made plenty of enemies over the years, including his ex Willow Tait (Katelyn MacMullen) and her new beau Drew Quartermaine (Cameron Mathison).—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The Alex Bregman sweepstakes is seemingly down to a few top suitors this winter.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
-
There was no shortage of suitors before the unearthing of the card, seemingly willing to buy it, offer their services to sell it or present the card owner with a plentiful package in exchange for the item.—
Larry Holder,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Rashford’s route to another Italian side, Juventus, has already been closed off by their capture of fellow forward Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.—
Laurie Whitwell,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
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Snoop Dogg then took aim at fellow rapper who has been a staunch Trump supporter.—
Shannon Power,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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According to cops, a 34-year-old man was struck in the left hand with a machete by an unidentified man around 11:24 a.m. Friday near Southern Blvd.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2025
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The dead man, whose identity has not been released, is believed to be the tenant, Detective Angel Rodriguez said in an email to the Miami Herald.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
25 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near swain
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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