swan song

noun

1
: a song of great sweetness said to be sung by a dying swan
2
: a farewell appearance or final act or pronouncement

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web
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But is this run of SoFi dates a swan song to one of the most successful recording projects of our time? August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025 Musk appeared with Trump on Friday in an Oval Office press conference, sort of a swan song as the billionaire’s official government service came to an end. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2025 Fleury, who retired from the league after the Minnesota Wild’s season ended May 1, is enjoying a swan song at the World Championships before his playing career truly ends in the next few days. Josh Yohe, New York Times, 21 May 2025 Joined by No Limit Soldiers, including Mia X, Silkk The Shocker, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Dru Hill, and Keri Hilson, the New Orleans mogul is set to deliver a swan song that pays tribute to his enduring impact on hip-hop and Southern culture. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for swan song

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swan song was in 1831

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Cite this Entry

“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

swan song

noun
: a farewell appearance or final act or public statement
Etymology

from the legend that a dying swan sings a beautiful song

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