What does swung mean?
“Swung” is the past tense and past participle of “swing,” a verb describing movement through an arc, usually around a fixed point or hinge. A gate, door, pendulum, cable, or branch can all be swung by an external force, while a person can swing an arm or object in a broad arc. The word also conveys rapid, forceful, or sweeping movement, as when a boxer swings hard or a vehicle swings onto a road. Figuratively, “swung” describes a marked change in direction, mood, opinion, or circumstances: an election may swing from one party to another, or fortune may swing unexpectedly. It can further mean influenced or emotionally moved, especially when someone is won over by a compelling performance or appeal. Because it expresses both physical motion and dramatic change, it is especially effective in descriptions of movement, reversals, and emotional persuasion.
To move or turn through an arc, especially by force or while suspended from a pivot.
"The child swung the rope in wide circles over the grass."
This is the past tense and past participle of “swing.” It can also describe a sudden change in course or sentiment.
Hung or mounted so as to move freely in an arc.
"They pushed open the heavy, swung door."
This participial use is mainly encountered in the phrase “swung door.”
One swing can describe a door’s motion, a batter’s powerful arc, or a sudden change of direction or opinion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does swung come from?
“Swing” is of uncertain origin and appears in English by the early 17th century. Its development may reflect an influence from the related older word “swin,” meaning “to move quickly or violently,” though the precise history is not certain. The modern inflected form “swung” developed through the standard historical change in which the final consonant of the base verb was lost in forms such as the past tense and past participle.
Related word forms
How swung is actually used
The form is both the past tense and the past participle of “swing.” In the figurative sense of influencing someone, it often occurs in the passive, as in “She was swung by the candidate’s emotional appeal.”