swan
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
swahnIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈswɑn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Any of various species of large, long-necked waterfowl, of genus Cygnus (bird family: Anatidae), most of which have white plumage.
Stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
A local government area in Perth, Western Australia; in full, the City of Swan.
A minor city in Marion County, Iowa.
Other townships, in Illinois, Nebraska and Ohio, listed under Swan Township.
heraldry
This bird used as a heraldic charge, sometimes with a crown around its neck (e. g. the arms of Buckinghamshire).
verb
intransitive
To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To travel or move about in an aimless, idle, or pretentiously casual way.
Used this way, swan is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It criticises, but without shouting.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Critical but measured
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Any of several orchids of the genus Cycnoches having slender arching columns of flowers suggesting the neck of a swan.
Western Australian annual much cultivated for its flower heads with white or bluish to violet or variegated rays.
Australian annual everlasting having light pink nodding flower heads.
A final performance or effort (especially before retirement).
Any of several orchids of the genus Cycnoches having slender arching columns of flowers suggesting the neck of a swan.
Any of several orchids of the genus Cycnoches having slender arching columns of flowers suggesting the neck of a swan.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to travel or move about in an aimless
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.