Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

swingeing

play
adjective swinge·ing \ ˈswin-jiŋ \
variants: or less commonly swinging

Definition of swingeing

chiefly British
:very large, high, or severe
  • swingeing fines
  • swingeing taxes

See swingeing defined for English-language learners

Explore M-W

alt-59c2cb9e9ef54
Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"
alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'
image536372841
Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Examples of swingeing in a Sentence

  1. Homeowners now face swingeing increases in their bills.

  2. a swingeing criticism of the government's policies

Origin and Etymology of swingeing

from present participle of 1swinge

2

swingeing

adverb
variants: or swinging

Definition of swingeing

chiefly British
:very, superlatively

First Known Use of swingeing

1690

Phrases Related to SWINGEING

Related Phrases

SWINGEING Defined for English Language Learners

swingeing

play
adjective

Definition of swingeing for English Language Learners

  • : very large and difficult to deal with

  • : very critical or severe

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up swingeing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

shofar

play

a ram's-horn trumpet used in Judaism

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

swingeing

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game
Examples: swingeing in a Sentence