1
as in boyfriend
a male romantic companion
a romanticized portrait of a bygone era of beauteous Southern belles and their gallant swains
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swain
Similar to the Broadway musical, the new movie ends with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her strawman swain Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) walking into the sunset away from Oz, after the revelation that Elphaba staged her own melting death by hiding under a trapdoor.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
As the two lovers, Robin Wright as the comely princess and Cary Elwes as her loving swain are engaging and appealing.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
As the two lovers, Robin Wright as the comely princess and Cary Elwes as her loving swain are engaging and appealing.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
But in the new film, the unnamed swain has been replaced by a Robin Hood-style heartthrob named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who leads a defiant group of bandits that steals from the monarchy and gives to the poor.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
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
Kramer, once again showing infinite tact, dissuaded the swain.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swain
Noun
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Li, who was found shot to death outside his apartment in San Gabriel, was Yan Wang's boyfriend at the time, according to the DA's Office.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Fernandez’s boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, was sentenced to death in 2018, and his automatic appeal petition is currently pending in California Supreme Court.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Granville Suite, once military reception rooms, is named after Christine Granville, rumored lover of Ian Fleming and apparently Churchill’s favorite spy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 32-year-old Opa-locka native went so far as to write a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting leniency before her former beau’s sentencing.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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The song comes alongside a video, shot by Michael Grant, which features a beaming Bey cozied up with an apparent beau in a bucket hat.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Should talks with Rafael or other defense suitors bear fruit, VW's potential to repurpose its obsolete Osnabrück plant – which the company is due to close in 2027 – could save up to 2,300 jobs.—
Sam Meredith,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2026
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Matthews has been the subject of trade rumors, with the Kings being linked as a potential suitor.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Wilson brothers [Owen and Luke] are Dallas boys.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Even a little boy walked up to her and asked to give her a hug.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Before her political career, Metayer Bowen was a confident, spirited teenager whose smile lit up the room, said Jessica Mund, a fellow classmate at Coral Springs Charter School.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
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Native American oral histories refer to gambling frequently, said Robert Wiener, a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth University who has studied gambling and religion at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, an ancient Puebloan center.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Two men have been indicted on federal charges of possessing guns in a school zone, though the case stems from a shootout across the street from an elementary school, in a liquor store parking lot, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Jessica Hecht, playing one of the hostages, adds her typically off-beat depth, and I was most amused by John Ortiz as the FBI agent with the standard G-man voice and personality to match.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swain. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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