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

The Canadian striker subbed on for a swan song in Salt Lake the next weekend, but was headed abroad to La Liga before the end of the month. —Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2026

Doncic’s season-high 60 points — the first 60-point game for a Lakers player since Kobe Bryant’s swan song in 2016 — led the Lakers to a 134-126 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday. —Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

Marmion senior Vincenzo Testa picked the perfect swan song to his wrestling career. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

The tournament serves at Saint Mary’s Hall’s swan song in TAPPS. —David Hinojosa, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for swan song

• agung
• along
• belong
• birdsong
• furlong
• headlong
• headstrong
• lifelong
• plainsong
• prolong
• sarong
• tanjong

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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