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
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Recent Examples of swain
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 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
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
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
The British actor finds the humor and sensitivity in his lustful swain, and his mellifluous voice is perfectly matched to Shakespeare’s prose.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 25 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
He’s never outgrown the image of himself as the swain, the young lover.
—Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the fourth time as ace archer Everdeen and her pair of devoted swains, director Francis Lawrence is back for his third film, and screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong mark this as their second effort.
—Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
The old residents remember when San Luis Rey was the second locality in the county, and the feast of San Luis (26th August) was an important epoch, with it, carreras and bades, forming the chief topic of conversation with dusky swain and maiden for miles around.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
-
Schepers went to visit her boyfriend after leaving the bar.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Natalia and her boyfriend reached out to Nicole and Vincent DePaul, a couple with dwarfism who had tried to adopt her in 2009 but were unable to due to financial constraints.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Rick scoops Chelsea up in his arms before being shot himself and falling into the water with his lover, where the two die together.—
Audrey Gibbs,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
-
From Norfolk in the east on Chesapeake Bay to Charlottesville in the Appalachian Mountains to the northwest, Virginia is for art lovers this month.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Christina Haack and her new beau are soaking up the sun on vacation!—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Apparently Cline's character has had a rough day, so her beau tells her to go take a meditative bath (her bath bomb, conspicuously, happens to look a lot like blood).—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Behind the scenes, administration officials have been in talks with multiple suitors.—
Esat Dedezade,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Last summer, though, the only suitor willing to pay that price was in Saudi Arabia.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In 2021, Mishal Reja, M.D., was an incoming gastroenterology fellow at State University of New York, Downstate and contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.—
Dr. Mishal Reja,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2025
-
As a franchisor in the senior care industry, for example, building relationships with healthcare professionals and fellow franchise owners can provide crucial insights into best practices for efficiencies and growth opportunities.—
Pete First,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
However, most of the damages (as much as 90%) will be allocated to football and men’s basketball due to the revenue generated by the respective sports.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The film explores Ian’s romantic relationships with men and women and her evolving sense of her sexuality.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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