swan song
noun
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Swans don't sing. They whistle or trumpet, or in the case of the swan most common in ponds, the mute swan, they only hiss and snort. But according to ancient legend, the swan does sing one beautiful song in its life-just before it dies. References in English to the dying swan's lovely singing go back as far as Chaucer, but the term swan song itself didn't appear in the language until the 1830s, when Thomas Carlyle used it in Sartor Resartus. Carlyle probably based his "swan song" on the German version of the term, which is Schwanengesang or Schwanenlied.
Examples of swan song in a Sentence
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
The episode doubled as a swan song for the Gen V showrunner, who, after two seasons at the helm of the spinoff, has taken on showrunning duties elsewhere, and thus, returning in some capacity is unlikely.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Greta Lee is leaving The Morning Show, and last night’s episode, the sixth in the show’s fourth season, was her surprise swan song.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
The Sundance Film Festival’s swan song in its longtime home of Park City, Utah is lining up to be a true banger, past and present.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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