swoon

1 of 2

verb

ˈswün 

swooned; swooning; swoons

intransitive verb

1

a

: faint

b

: to become enraptured

swooning with joy

2

: droop, fade

swooner noun

swooningly

ˈswü-niŋ-lē 

adverb

swoon

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a partial or total loss of consciousness

b

: a state of bewilderment or ecstasy : daze, rapture

2

: a state of suspended animation : torpor

swoony

ˈswü-nē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• black out
• conk (out)
• faint
• keel (over)
• pass out

Noun

• daze
• dazedness
• fog
• haze
• muddle
• spin

Examples of swoon in a Sentence

Verb

She almost swooned from fright.

easily swooned at the sight of blood

Noun

she wandered about in a swoon for several days after receiving the tragic news

fell into a swoon after stepping off of the incredibly fast roller coaster

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Applicants swoon whenever someone runs a new list of most expensive colleges: the ones that charge more than $70,000 a year in tuition and fees, or more than $400,000 in total costs over four years. —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

Critics have swooned over the film with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score (see Deadline review), a similar trajectory to Neon’s 2019 Palme d’Or winner Parasite. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2024

Noun

Or swoon over the wine list, which features a slew of esoteric and hard-to-find natural wines. —The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 21 Oct. 2024

Semiconductor shares have been underperforming the broader markets since an early August swoon caused investors to focus on a rotation into defensive and cyclical areas of the market. —Todd Gordon, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English swounen, probably back-formation from swouning, swowening, from iswowen, aswoune, from Old English geswōgen in a swoon

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

swoon

1 of 2 verb

ˈswün 

1

: faint entry 2

2

: to drift or fade gradually

swooner noun

swooningly

ˈswü-niŋ-lē 

adverb

swoon

2 of 2 noun

1

: a partial or total loss of consciousness

2

: a dreamlike state