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swing (v.)

Old English swingan "beat, strike; scourge, flog; to rush, fling oneself" (strong verb, past tense swang, past participle swungen), from Proto-Germanic *swengwanan (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German swingan, Old Frisian swinga, German schwingen "to swing, swingle, oscillate"), which is of uncertain origin and might be Germanic only.

The meaning "move freely back and forth" is first recorded 1540s. Transitive sense "cause to oscillate" is from 1550s. Sense of "bring about, make happen" is from 1934. Sense of "engage in promiscuous sex" is from 1964; earlier, more generally, "enjoy oneself unconventionally" (1957). Related: Swung; swinging. Swing-voter "independent who often determines the outcome of an election" is from 1966.

swing (n.)

Old English swinge "stroke, blow; chastisement," from swing (v.). Meaning "suspended seat on ropes" is from 1680s. Meaning "shift of public opinion" is from 1899. The meaning "variety of big dance-band music with a swinging rhythm" is first recorded 1933, though the sense has been traced back to 1888; its heyday was from mid-30s to mid-40s. Phrase in full swing "in total effect or operation" (1560s) perhaps is from bell-ringing. The backyard or playground swing-set is from 1951.

Entries related to swing

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Definitions of swing from WordNet
1
swing (v.)
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting;
swing a bat
He swung his left fist
swing (v.)
move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner;
He swung back
Synonyms: sway
swing (v.)
change direction with a swinging motion; turn;
swing forward
swing back
swing (v.)
influence decisively;
This action swung many votes over to his side
Synonyms: swing over
swing (v.)
make a big sweeping gesture or movement;
Synonyms: sweep / swing out
swing (v.)
hang freely;
Synonyms: dangle / drop
swing (v.)
hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement;
The soccer player began to swing at the referee
swing (v.)
alternate dramatically between high and low values;
his mood swings
the market is swinging up and down
swing (v.)
live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style;
The Woodstock generation attempted to swing freely
swing (v.)
have a certain musical rhythm;
The music has to swing
swing (v.)
be a social swinger; socialize a lot;
Synonyms: get around
swing (v.)
play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm;
swing (v.)
engage freely in promiscuous sex, often with the husband or wife of one's friends;
There were many swinging couples in the 1960's
2
swing (n.)
a state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity;
it took time to get into the swing of things
the party went with a swing
swing (n.)
mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth;
swing (n.)
a sweeping blow or stroke;
he took a wild swing at my head
swing (n.)
changing location by moving back and forth;
Synonyms: swinging / vacillation
swing (n.)
a style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz;
Synonyms: swing music / jive
swing (n.)
a jaunty rhythm in music;
Synonyms: lilt
swing (n.)
the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it;
Synonyms: golf stroke / golf shot
swing (n.)
in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball;
Synonyms: baseball swing / cut
swing (n.)
a square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them;
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near swing

swimsuit

swindle

swindler

swine

swineherd

swing

swinger

swinging

swingle

swingletree

swing-shift

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