Swing
WordNet
noun
(1) Changing location by moving back and forth
(2) A square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them
(3) In baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball
"He took a vicious cut at the ball"
(4) The act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it
(5) A sweeping blow or stroke
"He took a wild swing at my head"
(6) Mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth
(7) A jaunty rhythm in music
(8) A style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz
(9) A state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity
"The party went with a swing"
"It took time to get into the swing of things"
verb
(10) Alternate dramatically between high and low values
"His mood swings"
"The market is swinging up and down"
(11) Hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement
"The soccer player began to swing at the referee"
(12) Engage freely in promiscuous sex, often with the husband or wife of one's friends
"There were many swinging couples in the 1960's"
(13) Make a big sweeping gesture or movement
(14) Play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm
(15) Move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner
"He swung back"
(16) Change direction with a swinging motion; turn
"Swing back"
"Swing forward"
(17) Move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
"He swung his left fist"
"Swing a bat"
(18) Be a social swinger; socialize a lot
(19) Influence decisively
"This action swung many votes over to his side"
(20) Live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style
"The Woodstock generation attempted to swing freely"
(21) Hang freely
"The ornaments dangled from the tree"
"The light dropped from the ceiling"
WiktionaryText
Noun
- The manner in which something is swung.
- He worked tirelessly to improve his golf swing.
- Door swing indicates direction the door opens.
- A hanging seat in a children's playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing.
- A dance style.
- The genre of music associated with this dance style.
- The amount of change towards or away from something.
- Particularly, the increase or decrease in the number of votes in an election for opposition parties compared with votes for the incumbent party.
- The polls showed a wide swing to Labour.
- sideways movement of the ball as it flies through the air.
- The diameter that a lathe can cut.
- In a musical theater production, a performer who understudies several roles. See understudy.
Quotations
- 1937 June 11, Judy Garland, “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm”, A day at the races, Sam Wood (director), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- All God’s chillun got rhythm. All God's chillun got swing.
- Maybe haven't got money, maybe haven't got shoes.
- All God’s chillun got rhythm for to [sic.] push away their blues.
Verb
- To move backward and forward, especially rotating about or hanging from a fixed point.
- The plant swung in the breeze.
- To dance.
- To ride on a swing.
- The children laughed as they swung.
- To participate in the swinging lifestyle; to participate in wife-swapping.
- To hang from the gallows.
- (of a ball) to move sideways in its trajectory.
- To fluctuate or change.
- It wasn't long before the crowd's mood swung towards restless irritability.
- To move (an object) backward and forward; to wave.
- He swung his sword as hard as he could.
- To change (a numerical result); especially to change the outcome of an election.
- To make (something) work; especially to afford (something) financially.
- If it’s not too expensive, I think we can swing it.
- To play notes that are in pairs by making the first of the pair slightly longer than written (augmentation) and the second, resulting in a bouncy, uneven rhythm.
- (of a bowler) to make the ball move sideways in its trajectory.