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swan

Syllabification: (swan)
Pronunciation: /swän/

Translate swan | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of swan

noun

  • a large waterbird with a long flexible neck, short legs, webbed feet, a broad bill, and typically all-white plumage.
    • Genus Cygnus (and Coscoroba): several species

verb (swans, swanning, swanned)

[no object] informal
  • move about or go somewhere in a casual, relaxed way, typically perceived as irresponsible or ostentatious by others:swanning around in a $2,000 sharkskin suit doesn’t make you a Renaissance prince

Derivatives

swanlike

Pronunciation: /-ˌlīk/

adjective

Origin:

Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zwaan and German Schwan

swan in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of swan in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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