swain

noun

ˈswān How to pronounce swain (audio)
Definition of swainnext
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

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 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 Between the romantic fantasy of Anna and her two swains, the swoony Tuscan locales bathed in creamy golden light, and the tomatoes, You, Me & Tuscany delivers everything its title promises. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Apr. 2026 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 — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025 But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
  1. boyfriend
  2. lover
  3. beau
  4. suitor
  5. boy
  6. fellow
  7. man
Noun
  • She was accompanied by her younger son, Kash, 14, and current boyfriend Kyle Mowitz, who is in asset management.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The editors then serve up a tasty treat of a bunch of photos with Emily smack dab in the center, and cycle through them more quickly than Jenn’s boyfriend Ryan cycles through loud denim jackets.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of boyfriend
Noun
  • Her daughter, who is an animal lover, has learned about marine creatures by scuba diving and going on submarine rides on their trips.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Overnight, the foundation became a staple among makeup artists and beauty lovers worldwide, thanks to its second-skin finish and lit-from-within glow.
    — Beth Sobol, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of lover
Noun
  • As bald eagle fans around the world mourn the death of Jackie, her longtime mate Shadow has been spotted with a possible new beau in Southern California.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sara Howe, a carriage driving trainer who often sees Louise and her beau at competitions, told Hello!
    — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of beau
Noun
  • Plus, DeMar DeRozan now appears to have a new suitor in the Nuggets.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But Radke also had a warning for any potential suitor who doesn’t treat his ex-fiancée well.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of suitor
Noun
  • Ryker Huther is tied for first with 66 for Circle Christian boys golf on the first day of the Titan Invitational.
    — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026
  • This 1999 movie is about a manchild named Sonny who takes in a little boy (played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, perfect for Riverdale fans) to impress his ex-girlfriend.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of boy
Noun
  • Other than Bessent’s comments, there few details on specific actions, said Jodie Wen, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS), Tsinghua University.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This month alone, Google DeepMind lost Jeff Dean, the company’s long-time chief scientist and a 27-year veteran, alongside senior fellow Sanjay Ghemawat and researchers Oriol Vinyals and Quoc Le, who left to launch a startup called Discovery Loop.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fellow
Noun
  • In both women and men with class III obesity, defined as a BMI of 40 or higher, there was no statistically significant difference in mortality risk.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Still, the archetypal influencer in our cultural imagination is not a man reviewing watches on YouTube or hosting a podcast from his studio in Austin.
    — Laura Jung, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of man

Browse Nearby Words

swags
swain
swains
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Cite this Entry

“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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