noun / verb / adjective

swing

SWING/swɪŋ/

Movement in an arc or between opposite positions.

The pendulum swings back and forth along a curved path.

A suspended pendulum swings through a clear curved path, with one solid bob and two faint alternate-position outlines showing its back-and-forth movement.

Etymology

swingOld Englishto strike; rush, fling oneself

Old English swingan described striking as well as rushing or flinging oneself. The word later came to describe free back-and-forth movement, especially that of a body hanging from a fixed point.

In context

Alice Lake3:19

you keep this part still and you just swing it back and forth back and forth back and forth

How to speak Italian with hand gestures 👐

More examples

One swing of the hammer drives the nail into the board.
She pushes her daughter on the playground swing.
Large temperature swings make it hard to dress comfortably.
Both candidates visit swing states before the election.

Forms

swing · swings · swung · swinging

Similar words

sway: Suggests gentle side-to-side movement rather than a broad arc.
oscillate: Emphasizes repeated movement between positions, often in technical descriptions.
shift: Describes a change in position or tendency without implying an arc.