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
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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
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Recent Examples of swain
Justyn Gonzalez and Alexandra Young share enjoyable comedy charm as a fumbling swain and the snappy-retorting object of his affections.
—
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
Similar to the Broadway musical, the new movie ends with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her strawman swain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) walking into the sunset away from Oz, after the revelation that Elphaba staged her own melting death by hiding under a trapdoor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
As the two lovers, Robin Wright as the comely princess and Cary Elwes as her loving swain are engaging and appealing.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
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
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 12 May 2026
Similar to the Broadway musical, the new movie ends with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her strawman swain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) walking into the sunset away from Oz, after the revelation that Elphaba staged her own melting death by hiding under a trapdoor.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
As the two lovers, Robin Wright as the comely princess and Cary Elwes as her loving swain are engaging and appealing.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
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Additionally, a jury found Pasqual guilty of first-degree residential burglary and multiple counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiance's, boyfriend, girlfriend or child's parent.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Carpenter requested that her sister, Sarah, and her sister’s boyfriend, guitarist George Smith, be added to the protection order as well since the couple reside in her Los Angeles home.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Noun
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The apartment has original hardwood floors, which set the stage for thoughtful modern and vintage furniture; a fiddle leaf fig tree as well as other touches of real plant life on the interior and exterior add to the garden district location to make this stay a plant lover’s haven.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
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Outdoor exercise lovers will want to snap up this $14 skort to stay cool while playing pickleball or going for a walk.—
Madeline Merinuk,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Horror star Maika Monroe is with her beau Dalton Gomez.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
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Win or lose, Paulina has always been a huge support system for her beau.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The Thunder have the best trade package than anything the Bucks could receive from plenty of their other suitors.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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This time, there was no shortage of high-profile suitors.—
Teddy Cahill,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Only Ginsberg remained true to himself, Naomi and Lewis’ good Jewish boy from Patterson who inveighed against injustice and for the restorations of tikkun olam.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Bronzed pool boys in white uniforms serve artisan-gin cocktails to guests in big sun hats and designer togs, the breeze from Cabarita Beach rustling the pandanus trees on the lawn.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Prior to his time with King Philip, Vizakis coached at fellow Hockomock League schools such as Milford and Franklin.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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David John Chávez is a former chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association, a 2020 O’Neill National Critics Institute fellow, and a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2022-’23).—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The scene was genuinely awful to watch, but the movie—a story of plague, passion, period costumes, and an unwashed man in a tunic skipping town to cure writer’s block—ended up thrilling us; the portrayal of two creative minds working together (and apart) was, oddly, familiar.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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Images from a Ring security camera show a man, whom the restraining order request identifies as Applegate, at Carpenter’s front door and being confronted by a security guard with a flashlight.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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