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
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
The movies at Sundance Film Festival's swan song in Park City, Utah, were very on theme for the event, celebrating independent cinema with familiar faces in challenging fare, quirky examinations of youth and fascinating documentaries.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
These Games would be her swan song, and many thought the gold was hers to lose.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026
The programmers also share their emotions as Sundance prepares for its swan song in Park City, UT before the festival’s move next year to Boulder, CO.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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