swan song
noun
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Swans don't sing. They whistle or trumpet, or in the case of the swan most common in ponds, the mute swan, they only hiss and snort. But according to ancient legend, the swan does sing one beautiful song in its life-just before it dies. References in English to the dying swan's lovely singing go back as far as Chaucer, but the term swan song itself didn't appear in the language until the 1830s, when Thomas Carlyle used it in Sartor Resartus. Carlyle probably based his "swan song" on the German version of the term, which is Schwanengesang or Schwanenlied.
Examples of swan song in a Sentence
Tonya Russell, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2024
So for Lady Mariko’s swan song, Sawai wanted to bring those references into her wardrobe.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2024
Ultimately, the film is a swan song for the ages, touching upon issues of self-preservation and sacrifice, confronting our darkest fears (or a lack thereof), and survival of the fittest — or in this somber depiction — the powerful and wealthy.
—Tiffany Leigh, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
The whole concept was Peter’s swan song with the band.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for swan song 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swan song.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
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