1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion
a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in lover
a man who courts a woman usually with the goal of marrying her
Grandma claims that she had several swains pursuing her, but it was only Grandpa who won her heart
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swain
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Odette is a shape-shifter, from woman to swan, under sorcerer Rothbart’s spell, only to be broken when a swain pledges true love to her—Siegfried to the rescue.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Odette is a shape-shifter, from woman to swan, under sorcerer Rothbart’s spell, only to be broken when a swain pledges true love to her—Siegfried to the rescue.
—Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
-
Prosecutors accused Read, 45, of hitting her boyfriend John O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage and leaving him to die during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
-
Quintero’s testimony against her boyfriend got her a reduced sentence of 13 years.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
If Wrath of Khan is the gateway Star Trek film for sci-fi lovers, The Voyage Home is the gateway for everyone else.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
-
Budget-Friendly: With ticket prices starting at $10 and capping around $125, plus free events and discounts for families, students, and university faculty, the festival caters to everyone—culturally curious families, art lovers, and budget travelers alike.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
The song includes a dig at ex-husband Offset and name-drops her new beau New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
-
And on Sunday, Garner got some love from longtime beau Miller, who planted a kiss on the 13 Going on 30 actress following her final mile.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Nonetheless, Meta found itself with no shortage of suitors willing to meet its demands.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
-
If Bregman lands on the block, there will be no shortage of suitors who look to bring the star to their team for a World Series push.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
The Twins ultimately traded Cruz and fellow reliever Evan Sisk to the Royals in the 2023 offseason.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
-
Horowitz, who had taught robotics at the University of Colorado at Boulder and went on to become a graduate fellow at the California Institute of Technology, thought that AI and robotics could help improve those margins.—
Chris Stokel-Walker,
Fortune,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Six men were inside a 2018 GMC Sierra pickup truck at the time of the shooting.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
1 July 2025
-
The future of collaboration is not man versus machine, but man with machine—in an open, visible process where every contributor can see, learn from, and be fairly assessed for their effort.—
David Ferrucci,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share