swank

1 of 4

verb

swanked; swanking; swanks

swank

2 of 4

adjective (1)

Scotland
: full of life or energy : active

swank

3 of 4

adjective (2)

variants or swanky
swanker or swankier; swankiest
1
: characterized by showy display : ostentatious
a swank limousine
2
: fashionably elegant : smart
a swank restaurant
swankily adverb
swankiness noun

swank

4 of 4

noun

1
: arrogance or ostentation of dress or manner : pretentiousness, swagger
2

Examples of swank in a Sentence

Verb rich people swanking around in their expensive cars Adjective (2) drove up in a red sports car, the swank interior of which was decorated in silver and black Noun service that is the essence of swank: the waiters pull out your chair for you and even place your napkin on your lap
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Icon has more options for families and those traveling in groups who may want to swank up their lodging. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 30 Jan. 2024 The season of sunbathing in swim trunks, surfing in board shorts, and swanking about your style in slides—because no one wants to deal with the fuss of lacing up heft shoes and boots or the hassle of smelly socks. Bernd Fischer, menshealth.com, 10 May 2023
Adjective
Many of the buildings look like skeletons, but the shops and markets stay open, by day people walk the streets, and the swank patrons of a dance club party into the night… As a filmmaker, the British director Steve McQueen might be one of the last old-school classicists. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024 Harlequin is in the swank mode of her Tony Bennett albums Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale, as well as her Jazz & Piano residency in Vegas. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2024
Noun
To tap into their spot’s downtown ethos, the trio tapped industry titan Billy Cotton to design an interior swank enough to match the food at Bridges. Alia Akkam, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2024 Sitting above the huge Marquis of Pombal Square at the top of swank and leafy Liberdade Avenue, and overlooking the stately 64-acre Eduardo VII Park as well, the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon is an icon as the city’s first prominent Modernist structure. John Oseid, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for swank 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

perhaps akin to Middle High German swanken to sway; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple

Adjective (1)

Middle Low German or Middle Dutch swanc supple; akin to Old High German swingan to swing

First Known Use

Verb

1708, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (1)

1773, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

circa 1842, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swank was in 1708

Dictionary Entries Near swank

Cite this Entry

“Swank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swank. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

swank

1 of 3 verb
ˈswaŋk

swank

2 of 3 noun
1
: showy display or pride in dress or manners
2

swank

3 of 3 adjective
variants or swanky
swanker or swankier; swankest
1
: marked by showy display : ostentatious
a swank limousine
2
: fashionably elegant
a swank restaurant
swankily adverb
swankiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on swank

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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