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swain

noun

ˈswān How to pronounce swain (audio)
Definition of swainnext
1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in lover
a man who courts a woman usually with the goal of marrying her Grandma claims that she had several swains pursuing her, but it was only Grandpa who won her heart

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swain Justyn Gonzalez and Alexandra Young share enjoyable comedy charm as a fumbling swain and the snappy-retorting object of his affections. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 12 May 2026 Between the romantic fantasy of Anna and her two swains, the swoony Tuscan locales bathed in creamy golden light, and the tomatoes, You, Me & Tuscany delivers everything its title promises. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Apr. 2026 As the two lovers, Robin Wright as the comely princess and Cary Elwes as her loving swain are engaging and appealing. — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025 But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor. — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025 Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain. — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 Odette is a shape-shifter, from woman to swan, under sorcerer Rothbart’s spell, only to be broken when a swain pledges true love to her—Siegfried to the rescue. — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
  1. boyfriend
  2. lover
  3. beau
  4. suitor
  5. boy
  6. fellow
  7. man
Noun
  • The movie’s antihero, Doug (Will Brill), is a middle school theater teacher plotting his revenge against his ex-girlfriend Abigail (Gillian Jacobs), also a teacher — and her new boyfriend, the more charming Principal Brady (Rob Lowe).
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Her father, Skip Panettiere, is on the guest list as are a handful of Hollywood heavyweights and celebrities, though her mom, Lesley Vogel, her former boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were not invited, per TMZ.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of boyfriend
Noun
  • This year, there’s something for nearly every interest, from cheese lovers and bookworms to crafty adults and puzzle enthusiasts.
    — Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • This is our introduction to He and She, two clownish, pugilistic lovers who are locked in a war of words, even as a literal war rages outside.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of lover
Noun
  • Ask your beau to fasten it behind your neck; rubies, after all, are oh-so-romantic.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Season 5 ended on a cliffhanger for Emily and Gabriel — adrift on a yacht off the shores of Greece — while Mindy finds herself in a love triangle with Nico (Park's real-life former beau Paul Forman) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount).
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of beau
Noun
  • The action then jumps back four months to show the events the series portrays as leading up to the murders, beginning with Lizzie’s first meeting with a prospective suitor.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Twenty years later, Elizabeth (Roden) is spending Christmas at Biltmore, this time accompanied by James (Trevena), a suitor her Aunt Maysilee (MacDowell), is keen for her to wed.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of suitor
Noun
  • Brody Drewes shot 68 (-4) to help Lake Minneola boys golf edge Eustis by one stroke to win the West Orange Invitational.
    — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Even though the Longs have no more boys arriving at La Serna, there’s a sister who will be freshman next year at La Serna.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of boy
Noun
  • Haddow, a senior fellow on public policy with the association, said he's heard numerous people tell lawmakers over the years how kratom has improved their lives.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Then, Miami must also contain outside receiving threats in Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Miami’s own Tyquan Thornton, plus Walker and fellow running back Emmett Johnson catching the ball out of the backfield.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of fellow
Noun
  • Thin partitions marked an early attempt to slice the space into smaller rooms, but the original brick walls remained bare, shivering with cobwebs, where someone had pasted a picture of a man, holy hands bracketing a redbrick heart.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • People arrested at these checkpoints have virtually no legal recourse and many young men have subsequently been forced into the military.
    — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of man

Browse Nearby Words

swags
swain
swains
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Cite this Entry

“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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