The word swing has several related meanings:

When you swing something, you move it back and forth or in a wide curve through the air. A baseball player swings the bat at a pitch. A golfer swings their club. You might swing your arms while walking or swing a rope in a circle above your head.

A swing is also the playground equipment with a seat hanging from chains or ropes. You pump your legs to make yourself swing higher and higher, feeling that thrilling moment at the peak when you seem to hang in the air before swooping back down.

The word can describe any back-and-forth or side-to-side movement. A door swings open and closed on its hinges. A pendulum swings steadily in a grandfather clock. When you swing by someone's house, you're making a quick visit, curving your path to include their place.

In music, swing refers to a rhythmic style that makes you want to tap your feet or dance, especially in jazz from the 1930s and 1940s. Swing music has a bouncy, energetic feel that seems to pulse and sway.

People also talk about the swing of public opinion or elections, meaning how attitudes or results shift from one direction to another, like a pendulum moving between different positions.