swing

swing [swiŋ]

vi.

swung, swinging [ME swingen < OE swingan, akin to Ger schwingen, to brandish < IE base * sweng-, to curve, swing]

1. to sway or move backward and forward with regular movement, as a freely hanging object or a ship at anchor; oscillate

2. to walk, trot, etc. with freely swaying, relaxed movements of the limbs

3. to deliver or aim a blow; strike (at)

4. to turn or pivot, as on a hinge or swivel [the door swung open]

5. to move in a curve, esp. in order to go around something [the driver swung around the stalled car]

6.

a) to hang; be suspended

b) Informal to be put to death by hanging

7. to move backward and forward on a SWING (n. 10)

☆ 8. to have an exciting rhythmic quality [music that really swings ]

☆ 9. Slang to be ultra-fashionable, sophisticated, active, etc., esp. in the pursuit of pleasure

10. Slang

a) to engage in casual sexual relations, esp. in an open, deliberate way

b) to exchange partners with other couples and engage in sexual activity: said esp. of married couples

vt.

1.

a) to move or wave (a weapon, tool, bat, etc.) with a sweeping motion; flourish; brandish

b) to lift or hoist with a sweeping motion

2. to cause (a hanging object) to sway backward and forward; specif., to cause (a person on a swing) to move backward and forward by pushing or pulling the swing

3. to cause to turn or pivot, as on a hinge or swivel [to swing a door open]

4. to cause to hang freely, so as to be capable of easy movement [to swing a hammock]

5. to cause to move in a curve [to swing a car around a corner]

6. to move (a ship or aircraft) through the points of the compass in order to check compass error

☆ 7. Informal to cause to come about successfully; manage with the desired results [to swing an election ]

☆ 8. to play (music) in the style of swing

n.

1. the act or process of swinging

2. the arc, or the length of the arc, through which something swings [the swing of a pendulum]

3. the manner of swinging; specif., the manner of striking with a golf club, baseball bat, the arm, etc.

4. freedom to do as one wishes or is naturally inclined [given full swing in the matter]

5. a free, relaxed motion, as in walking

6. a sweeping blow or stroke

7. the course, development, or movement of some activity, business, etc.

8. the power, or force, behind something swung or thrown; impetus

9. rhythm, as of poetry or music

10. a device, as a seat hanging from ropes or chains, on which one can sit and swing backward and forward as a form of amusement

11. a trip or tour [a swing around the country ]

☆ 12. a style of jazz, esp. in its development from about 1935 to 1945, characterized by the use of large bands, fast tempos, and written arrangements for ensemble playing

☆ 13. Business Informal regular upward and downward change in the price of stocks or in some other business activity

adj.

☆ 1. of, in, or playing swing (music)

2. having or likely to have decisive power, as in determining the result of an election [the swing vote]

——————

in full swing

1. in complete and active operation

2. going on without reserve or restraint

swingy

adj.

swingier, swingiest

SYN.- SWING suggests the to-and-fro motion of something that is suspended, hinged, pivoted, etc. so that it is free to turn or swivel at the point or points of attachment [a swinging door ]; SWAY describes the swinging motion of something flexible or self-balancing, whether attached or unattached, in yielding to pressure, weight, etc. [branches swaying in the wind ]; to OSCILLATE is to swing back and forth, within certain limits, in the manner of a pendulum; VIBRATE suggests the rapid, regular, back-and-forth motion of a plucked, taut string and is applied in physics to a similar movement of the particles of a fluid or elastic medium [sound vibrations]; FLUCTUATE implies continual, irregular alternating movements and is now most common in its extended sense [fluctuating prices ]; UNDULATE implies a gentle wavelike motion or form [undulating land ]