swan
verb/swɒn/
/swɑːn/
[intransitive] (informal, disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they swan | /swɒn/ /swɑːn/ |
| he / she / it swans | /swɒnz/ /swɑːnz/ |
| past simple swanned | /swɒnd/ /swɑːnd/ |
| past participle swanned | /swɒnd/ /swɑːnd/ |
| -ing form swanning | /ˈswɒnɪŋ/ /ˈswɑːnɪŋ/ |
- + adv./prep. to go around enjoying yourself in a way that annoys other people or makes them jealous
- They've gone swanning off to Paris for the weekend.
- They’re always swanning off to Paris for shopping trips.
Word OriginOld English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zwaan and German Schwan. The current sense of the verb originated as military slang, referring to the free movement of armoured vehicles.Want to learn more?
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