sweet|ness /swiː tnəs/
1 PHRASE If you say that a relationship or situation is not all sweetness and light , you mean that it is not as pleasant as it appears to be. □ It has not all been sweetness and light between him and the Prime Minister.
2 → see also sweet
swee t no th|ings N‑PLURAL If someone whispers sweet nothings to you, they quietly say nice, loving, and flattering things to you.
swee t pea (sweet peas ) also sweetpea N‑COUNT A sweet pea is a climbing plant which has delicate, sweet-smelling flowers.
swee t pe p|per (sweet peppers ) N‑COUNT A sweet pepper is a hollow green, red, or yellow vegetable.
swee t po|ta |to (sweet potatoes ) N‑VAR Sweet potatoes are vegetables that look like large ordinary potatoes but taste sweet. They have pinkish-brown skins and yellow flesh.
swee t shop (sweet shops ) also sweetshop N‑COUNT A sweet shop is a small shop that sells sweets and cigarettes, and sometimes newspapers and magazines. [BRIT ] in AM, use candy store
swee t talk (sweet talks , sweet talking , sweet talked ) also sweet-talk VERB If you sweet talk someone, you talk to them very nicely so that they will do what you want. □ [V n + into ] She could always sweet-talk Pamela into letting her stay up late. □ [V n] He even tried to sweet-talk the policewoman who arrested him.
swell /swe l/ (swells , swelling , swelled , swollen ) The forms swelled and swollen are both used as the past participle. 1 VERB If the amount or size of something swells or if something swells it, it becomes larger than it was before. □ [V ] The human population swelled, at least temporarily, as migrants moved south. □ [V + to/by ] His bank balance has swelled by £222,000 in the last three weeks. □ [V n + to ] Offers from other countries should swell the force to 35,000. [Also V n]
2 VERB If something such as a part of your body swells , it becomes larger and rounder than normal. □ [V ] Do your ankles swell at night? □ [V + to ] The limbs swell to an enormous size. ● PHRASAL VERB Swell up means the same as swell . □ [V P ] When you develop a throat infection or catch a cold the glands in the neck swell up.
3 VERB If you swell with a feeling, you are suddenly full of that feeling. [LITERARY ] □ [V + with ] She could see her two sons swell with pride.
4 ADJ You can describe something as swell if you think it is really nice. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ I've had a swell time.
5 → see also swelling , swollen , groundswell
▸ swell up → see swell 2
swell|ing /swe l I ŋ/ (swellings ) N‑VAR A swelling is a raised, curved shape on the surface of your body which appears as a result of an injury or an illness. □ His eye was partly closed, and there was a swelling over his lid.
swel|ter /swe ltə r / (swelters , sweltering , sweltered ) VERB If you swelter , you are very uncomfortable because the weather is extremely hot. □ [V ] They sweltered in temperatures rising to a hundred degrees.
swel|ter|ing /swe ltər I ŋ/ ADJ If you describe the weather as sweltering , you mean that it is extremely hot and makes you feel uncomfortable.
swept /swe pt/ Swept is the past tense and past participle of sweep .
swerve /swɜː r v/ (swerves , swerving , swerved ) VERB If a vehicle or other moving thing swerves or if you swerve it, it suddenly changes direction, often in order to avoid hitting something. □ [V ] Drivers coming in the opposite direction swerved to avoid the bodies. □ [V prep/adv] Her car swerved off the road into a 6ft high brick wall. □ [V n] Suddenly Ned swerved the truck, narrowly missing a blond teenager on a skateboard. ● N‑COUNT Swerve is also a noun. □ He swung the car to the left and that swerve saved Malone's life.
swift /sw I ft/ (swifter , swiftest , swifts )
1 ADJ A swift event or process happens very quickly or without delay. □ Our task is to challenge the U.N. to make a swift decision. □ The police were swift to act. ● swift|ly ADV □ They have acted swiftly and decisively to protect their industries.
2 ADJ Something that is swift moves very quickly. □ With a swift movement, Matthew Jerrold sat upright. ● swift|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Lenny moved swiftly and silently across the front lawn.
3 N‑COUNT A swift is a small bird with long curved wings.
swig /sw I g/ (swigs , swigging , swigged ) VERB If you swig a drink, you drink it from a bottle or cup quickly and in large amounts. □ [V n with down/back ] He swigs down four cans of fizzy orange drink a day. □ [V n] He was still hanging around, swigging the Coke out of the can. ● N‑COUNT Swig is also a noun. □ Brian took a swig of his drink.
swill /sw I l/ (swills , swilling , swilled )
1 VERB If you swill an alcoholic drink, you drink a lot of it. □ [V n] A crowd of men were standing around swilling beer.
2 VERB If a liquid swills around , or if you swill it around , it moves around the area that it is contained in. □ [V around/about ] Gallons of sea water had rushed into the cabin and were now swilling about in the bilges. □ [V n around/about ] She swilled the drink around in her glass.