1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion
a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
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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
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Recent Examples of swain
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But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
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But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
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Keshia Golden is charged with first-degree murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Calvin Sidney.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Joining Murrill as a plaintiff is a Louisiana woman who says her boyfriend coerced her into taking mifepristone from a California doctor.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Granville Suite, once military reception rooms, is named after Christine Granville, rumored lover of Ian Fleming and apparently Churchill’s favorite spy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After a few hours of retail therapy, head back into the city for the perfect happy hour vibe or a dinner date with just you, your beau or a group at the historic floating restaurant DiMillo’s On the Water.—
Dontaira Terrell,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
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So are their girlfriends and wives, who support their beaus in stadiums and at home.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Should talks with Rafael or other defense suitors bear fruit, VW's potential to repurpose its obsolete Osnabrück plant – which the company is due to close in 2027 – could save up to 2,300 jobs.—
Sam Meredith,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2026
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Matthews has been the subject of trade rumors, with the Kings being linked as a potential suitor.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The family said the young boy suffered skull fractures on both sides of his head but has since been released from the hospital.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Richard Funk was unlike many of the other fraternity boys Welsh had encountered.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Before her political career, Metayer Bowen was a confident, spirited teenager whose smile lit up the room, said Jessica Mund, a fellow classmate at Coral Springs Charter School.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
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Native American oral histories refer to gambling frequently, said Robert Wiener, a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth University who has studied gambling and religion at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, an ancient Puebloan center.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He is accused of shooting Afghan man Dad Mohammad three times in the head in an Uruzgan province wheatfield in May 2012.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Another key starter has announced their plans to return to TCU men’s basketball next season.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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