4 VERB If someone swings around , they turn around quickly, usually because they are surprised. □ [V adv] She swung around to him, spilling her tea without noticing it.
5 VERB If you swing at a person or thing, you try to hit them with your arm or with something that you are holding. □ [V + at ] Blanche swung at her but she moved her head back and Blanche missed. □ [V + at ] I picked up his baseball bat and swung at the man's head. [Also V n at n] ● N‑COUNT Swing is also a noun. □ I often want to take a swing at someone to relieve my feelings.
6 N‑COUNT A swing is a seat hanging by two ropes or chains from a metal frame or from the branch of a tree. You can sit on the seat and move forwards and backwards through the air.
7 N‑UNCOUNT Swing is a style of jazz dance music that was popular in the 1930's. It was played by big bands.
8 N‑COUNT A swing in people's opinions, attitudes, or feelings is a change in them, especially a sudden or big change. □ There was a massive swing away from the governing party in the election. □ Dieters suffer from violent mood swings.
9 VERB If people's opinions, attitudes, or feelings swing , they change, especially in a sudden or extreme way. □ [V ] In two years' time there is a presidential election, and the voters could swing again. □ [V adv/prep] The mood amongst Tory MPs seems to be swinging away from their leader.
10 PHRASE If something is in full swing , it is operating fully and is no longer in its early stages. □ When we returned, the party was in full swing and the dance floor was crowded.
11 PHRASE If you get into the swing of something, you become very involved in it and enjoy what you are doing. □ It was hard to get back into the swing of things after such a long absence.
12 PHRASE If you say that a situation is swings and roundabouts , you mean that there are as many gains as there are losses. [BRIT ]
13 no room to swing a cat → see cat COLLOCATIONS swing NOUN 8
noun + swing : mood
adjective + swing : dramatic, sharp, sudden, violent; political
verb + swing : experience, suffer; achieve, gain, record VERB 8
noun + swing : momentum, mood, opinion
swing + adverb : decisively, dramatically, sharply, violently; back
swi ng bri dge (swing bridges ) N‑COUNT A swing bridge is a low bridge that can be opened either in the middle or on one side in order to let ships pass through.
swi ng doo r (swing doors ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Swing doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use swinging door
swinge|ing /sw I ndʒ I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] A swingeing action, such as an attack or cut, is very great or severe. [BRIT , mainly JOURNALISM ] □ The book mounted a swingeing attack on the economics of the day.
swing|er /sw I ŋə r / (swingers )
1 N‑COUNT A swinger is a person who is lively and fashionable. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ]
2 N‑COUNT Swingers are people who are married or in a long-term relationship and who like to have sex with other couples.
swing|ing /sw I ŋ I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something or someone as swinging , you mean that they are lively and fashionable. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ The stuffy '50s gave way to the swinging '60s.
swi ng|ing doo r (swinging doors ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Swinging doors are doors that can open both towards you and away from you. [AM ] in BRIT, use swing door
swi ng vo te (swing votes ) N‑COUNT In a situation when people are about to vote, the swing vote is used to talk about the vote of a person or group which is difficult to predict and which will be important in deciding the result. [mainly AM , JOURNALISM ] □ …a Democrat who holds the swing vote on the committee.
swi ng vo t|er (swing voters ) N‑COUNT A swing voter is a person who is not a firm supporter of any political party, and whose vote in an election is difficult to predict. [AM ] in BRIT, use floating voter
swipe /swa I p/ (swipes , swiping , swiped )
1 VERB If you swipe at a person or thing, you try to hit them with a stick or other object, making a swinging movement with your arm. □ [V + at ] She swiped at Rusty as though he was a fly. □ [V n] He swiped me across the shoulder with the poker. ● N‑COUNT Swipe is also a noun. □ He took a swipe at Andrew that deposited him on the floor.
2 VERB If you swipe something, you steal it quickly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Five soldiers were each fined £140 for swiping a wheelchair from a disabled tourist.
3 N‑COUNT If you take a swipe at a person or an organization, you criticize them, usually in an indirect way. □ In a swipe at the President, he called for an end to 'begging for aid around the world'.
4 VERB If you swipe a credit card or swipe card through a machine, you pass it through a narrow space in the machine so that the machine can read information on the card's magnetic strip. □ [V n + through ] Swipe your card through the phone, then dial. [Also V n]
5 VERB If you swipe , you move your finger across the screen of a phone or computer in order to give it an instruction. □ [V adv] Swipe right to answer the call, or swipe left to dismiss the call. □ [V n] Swipe the screen to unlock.
swi pe card (swipe cards ) also swipecard N‑COUNT A swipe card is a plastic card with a magnetic strip on it which contains information that can be read or transferred by passing the card through a special machine. □ They use a swipe card to go in and out of their offices.