swan

plural swans

1. Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
2. figurativelyOne whose grace etc. suggests a swan.
3. governmentThis bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).

present singular third person swans · participle present swanning · participle past swanned · past swanned

1. intransitiveTo travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.

   He swans around that stinking office in his expensive clothes that are a little too tight for comfort, he swans around that stinking office without a care in the world.

   2010, Lee Rourke, The Canal, Melville House Publishing, →ISBN, unnumbered page

   3 more examples

   One of the few strokes of good luck Emma had had in recent days was the news that Tatiana Flint-Hamilton, her only real rival for top billing as 'most photographable girl' at today's event had decided to swan off to Sardinia instead, leaving the limelight entirely to Emma.

   2013, Tilly Bagshawe, One Summer’s Afternoon, HarperCollins, →ISBN

   On the other side: the rich, beautiful tapestry of WASP culture that constituted Levis's life—friends playing horseshoes at backyard cocktail parties, where girls swanned in chaise longues, clinking their gin and tonics.

   2022, Ling Ma, “G”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN

   He developed the Capitalcard, which combined Tube and train travel - a return fare from a NSE station would include free Tube travel for the day after 0930, with the slogan 'Swanning around London' on posters featuring the bird.

   2026 April 1, Christian Wolmar, “Managers must be given freedom to make decisions”, in RAIL, number 1058, page 35

present singular third person swans · participle present swanning · participle past swanned · past swanned · alternative swanny

1. UScolloquialdialectalTo declare (chiefly in first-person present constructions).

   "Well, I swan, man, I had a better opinion of you than that."

   1907 December, J. D. Archer, “Foiling an eavesdropper”, in Telephony, volume 14, page 345

   1 more example

   ‘She slammed the door so hard I figured a window'd break […].’ ‘I swan,’ I said.

   1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely, Penguin, published 2010, page 214

plural Swans · alternative Swann

1. Australian rules footballsomeone connected with the Sydney Swans, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

plural Swans · alternative Swann

1. countableuncountableA surname transferred from the nickname.

   CNN reported on Friday that Trump first mentioned the document in a March interview with the New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan for their book Regime Change, an account of the first 14 months of Trump’s second term, which is to be published next week.

   2026 June 19, Edward Helmore, “Comparison to Hitler, Mao, Stalin? Trump says: ‘Sounds good to me!’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2026

2. A number of places in the United States:
   1. countableuncountableA township and unincorporated community therein, in Noble County, Indiana.
   2. countableuncountableA minor city in Marion County, Iowa.
   3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community and township in Taney County, Missouri, named after Swan Creek.
   4. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Smith County, Texas.
   5. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in the town of Frankfort, Marathon County, Wisconsin.
   6. countableuncountableOther townships, in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio, listed under Swan Township.
3. countableuncountableA local government area in Perth, Western Australia; in full, the City of Swan.

plural Swans

1. ball gamessomeone connected with Swansea City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach, etc.

   The Swans will doubtless recover, but they will head home this evening knowing that they didn't do themselves justice in a game that means so much to supporters.

   2013 November 3, Delme Parfitt, “Cardiff City 1 - 0 Swansea City: Steven Caulker heads Bluebirds to South Wales derby win”, in Wales Online

1. abbreviationacronymuncountablemedicineAcronym of syndrome without a name.