plural also swan: any of various large heavy-bodied long-necked mostly pure white aquatic birds (family Anatidae, especially genus Cygnus) that have webbed feet and are related to but larger than the geese
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Noun
In what proved to be his swan-song season with the Celtics, Brown was an All-Star for the fifth time, an All-Star starter for the first time, a second-team All-NBA selection and the sixth-place finisher in NBA MVP voting.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
2 July 2026 The birds most commonly affected are ducks, swans, geese, chickens and turkeys.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
1 July 2026
Verb
Glamorous as ever at 92, Joan Collins swans onto the Cannes red carpet in ruffles and diamonds for the Electric Kiss premiere.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026 The music video, in which Tay swans around a Malibu mansion in a pastel two-piece, was more controversial.—
Ej Dickson,
Rolling Stone,
13 Nov. 2023 See All Example Sentences for swan
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Middle High German swan and perhaps to Latin sonus sound — more at sound entry 1
Verb (2)
perhaps euphemism for swear
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1