swing
swing
/swɪŋ/
hang and move
1 intransitive, transitive to move backwards or forwards or from side to side while hanging from a fixed point; to make something do this His arms swung as he walked.
As he pushed her, she swung higher and higher (= while sitting on a swing).
swing from something A set of keys swung from her belt.
swing something He sat on the stool, swinging his legs.
Collocations Dictionary
adverb
gentlyslowlyviolently…
preposition
from
2 intransitive, transitive to move from one place to another by holding something that is fixed and pulling yourself along, up, etc. + adv./prep. The gunshot sent monkeys swinging away through the trees.
swing yourself + adv./prep. He swung himself out of the car.
Collocations Dictionary
adverb
slowlysuddenlysharply…
verb + swing
let something
preposition
fromintotowards/toward…
phrases
swing openswing shut
move in curve
+ adv./prep. A line of cars swung out of the palace gates.
swing something + adv./prep. He swung his legs over the side of the bed.
+ adj. The door swung open.
She let the door swing shut behind her.
swing something + adj. She swung the door open.
change opinion/mood
swing (from A) (to B) The state has swung from Republican to Democrat.
swing (between A and B) His emotions swung between fear and curiosity.
The game could swing either way (= either side could win it).
swing somebody/something (to something) I managed to swing them round to my point of view.
turn quickly
+ adv./prep. She swung back to face him.
The bus swung sharply to the left.
swing something + adv./prep. He swung the camera around to face the opposite direction.
try to hit
swing at somebody/something She swung at me with the iron bar.
swing something (at somebody/something) He swung another punch in my direction.
do/get something
7 transitive (informal) to succeed in getting or achieving something, sometimes in a slightly dishonest way swing something We're trying to swing it so that we can travel on the same flight.
swing somebody something Is there any chance of you swinging us a couple of tickets?
of music
of party
9 intransitive (informal) if a party, etc. is swinging, there are a lot of people there having a good time Idioms
no room to swing a cat
(informal) when somebody says there’s no room to swing a cat, they mean that a room is very small and that there is not enough space
swing the balance
(also tip the balance/scales)
to affect the result of something in one way rather than another
In an interview, smart presentation can swing the balance in your favour.
New evidence swung the balance against the prosecution.
swing both ways
(informal) to be bisexual (= sexually attracted to both men and women)
swing for the fences
(North American English) to really try to achieve something great, even when it is not reasonable to expect to be so successful
entrepreneurs who think big and swing for the fences
Investors need to manage risk and not swing for the fences.
TOPICS SuccessC2
swing into action
to start doing something quickly and with a lot of energy
The ambulance crew swung into action to resuscitate the patient.
The rescue operation swung into action immediately.
The emergency services swung into action as soon as the disaster was reported.
swing the lead
(old-fashioned, British English, informal)
(usually used in the progressive tenses)
to pretend to be ill when in fact you are not, especially to avoid work
I don't think there's anything wrong with her—she's just swinging the lead.
Phrasal Verbs
swing
/swɪŋ/
movement
He took a wild swing at the ball.
the swing of her hips
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
wildmightypowerful…
verb + swing
domaketake…
swing + noun
bridgedoor
preposition
swing atswing of
of opinion/mood
2 countable a change from one opinion or situation to another; the amount by which something changes Voting showed a 10 per cent swing to Labour.
There are indications of a swing towards nuclear power.
SEE ALSO mood swing
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
bigdramatichuge…
verb + swing
needrepresentsuffer…
swing + noun
statevotevoter…
preposition
swing in favour ofswing toswing towards/toward…
hanging seat
3 countable a seat for swinging on, hung from above on ropes or chains The kids were playing on the swings.
Her dad pushed her on the swing.
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
porchtyre/tire
verb + swing
go onplay onsit on…
preposition
on a/the swing
in golf
4 singular the swinging movement you make with your arms and body when you hit the ball in the game of golf I need to work on my swing.
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
wildmightypowerful…
verb + swing
domaketake…
swing + noun
bridgedoor
preposition
swing atswing of
music
5 uncountable a type of jazz with a smooth rhythm, played especially by big dance bands in the 1930s journey
6 singular (North American English) a quick journey, especially one made by a politician, in which somebody visits several different places in a short time a three-day campaign swing through California
Idioms
get in/into the swing (of something)
(informal) to get used to an activity or a situation and become fully involved in it
I’ve only been here a week so I haven’t got into the swing of things yet.
go with a swing
(British English)
(of a party or an activity) to be lively and fun
She made the whole party go with a swing.
(of music) to have a strong rhythm
in full swing
having reached a very lively level
When we arrived the party was already in full swing.
swings and roundabouts
(British English, informal) used to say that there are advantages and disadvantages whatever decision you make
If you earn more, you pay more in tax, so it's all swings and roundabouts.
What you gain on the swings you may lose on the roundabouts.
Word Origin
Old English swingan ‘to beat, whip’, also ‘rush’, geswing ‘a stroke with a weapon’, of Germanic origin; related to German schwingen ‘brandish’.