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
Relevance
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
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
-
After nearly three years with boyfriend Chase Stokes, country singer Kelsea Ballerini is single once more.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Hong Kong — With their home city Hong Kong unable to honor their wish to get married, Dino Wong and his boyfriend Geoffrey Yu flew more than 2,000 miles across the ocean to Guam to tie the knot in 2019.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There is, actually, another category of nail lovers that has emerged in recent years, and those are people who swear by temporary press-ons.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Four Seasons Napa Valley For wine lovers and those who love them, any time is a great time to visit Napa Valley.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Drescher played Fran Frine and Shaughnessy played her onscreen boss-turned-beau, Maxwell Sheffield.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Sep. 2025
-
From the outside, Laura could be loving, protective, overbearing, even intrusive — while Cherry sows doubt for hiding pieces of her past despite ostensibly adoring her new beau.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Bachelor franchise has always stuck by a somewhat silly dogma—that despite the fact that its premise (one star dating 20-plus suitors) is ridiculous and inherently a little raunchy, the show is at its core a pure slice of an Americana fairy tale.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
10 Sep. 2025
-
He’s also seen has a possible suitor for TikTok, although those plans have not come to fruition.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My boy retriever is just as dramatic.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
That's how Casey Kacz, an Event Coordinator for a non-profit and father of two young boys, felt when his car battery died.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Stolen from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft less than a year earlier, the rookie found himself on the mound for the bottom of the ninth, just as veteran teammate and fellow ex-Yankee Adam Ottavino predicted.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain, said Gulf states haven’t previously significantly participated in proceedings against Israel at international courts, and that that could change.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Authorities arrested a man shortly after a bullet hit Kirk, Mason said during the news conference.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
No man is worth missing Paris for.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share