swine

noun

ˈswīn 

plural swine

1

: any of various stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous artiodactyl mammals (family Suidae) with a thick bristly skin and a long flexible snout

especially : a domesticated one descended from the wild boar

2

: a contemptible person

Synonyms

• bastard
• beast
• bleeder [British]
• blighter [chiefly British]
• boor
• bounder
• bugger
• buzzard
• cad
• chuff
• churl
• clown
• creep
• cretin
• crud [slang]
• crumb [slang]
• cur
• dirtbag [slang]
• dog
• fink
• heel
• hound
• jerk
• joker
• louse
• lout
• pill
• rat
• rat fink
• reptile
• rotter
• schmuck [slang]
• scum
• scumbag [slang]
• scuzzball [slang]
• skunk
• sleaze
• sleazebag [slang]
• sleazeball [slang]
• slime
• slimeball [slang]
• slob
• snake
• so-and-so
• sod [chiefly British]
• stinkard
• stinker
• toad
• varmint
• vermin

Examples of swine in a Sentence

you really are a swine—you have no sense of decency at all!

Recent Examples on the Web

Wildlife Services has been successful at reducing numbers and distribution of feral swine to a point where their elimination in Ohio is a real possibility. —Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 26 June 2024

The bill would also allow landowners to shoot the feral swine without a license, according to reporting from the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network. —Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024

This makes the Buckeye State one of 35 in the U.S. where feral swine have established breeding populations. —Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 26 June 2024

So far, feral swine can be found in eight of Ohio's 88 counties. —Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English swīn; akin to Old High German swīn swine, Latin sus — more at sow

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing swine

• African swine fever
• cast/throw pearls before swine
• swine fever
• swine flu
• swine influenza

Kids Definition

swine

noun

ˈswīn 

plural swine

1

: any of a family of stout-bodied short-legged hoofed mammals with a thick bristly skin and a long snout

especially : a domestic animal developed from the European wild boar and raised for meat

2

: a nasty person

Medical Definition

swine

noun

ˈswīn 

: any of various stout-bodied short-legged mammals (family Suidae) with a thick bristly skin and a long mobile snout

especially : a domesticated member of a species (Sus scrofa) that occurs wild in the Old World