What’s the meaning of “swing”?
It’s sing, sang, sung, and ring, rang, rung; so shouldn’t it also be swing, swang, swung? Not so fast, says the rules of English verb conjugations—the verb swing doesn’t operate that way.
Swing, which describes moving repeatedly “backward and forwards or from side to side”, has one past verb form, and that is swung.
Swung is both the simple past form and past participle of swing (which is the present tense). For the remaining verb forms, refer to the chart below.
Forms of “swing”
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I swing or swings | I swung | I will swing |
| Continuous | I am swinging | I was swinging | I will be swinging |
| Perfect | I have swung | I had swung | I will have swung |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been swinging | I had been swinging | I will have been swinging |
Irregular verbs like swing/swung
| Base verb | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| sneak | sneaked or snuck | sneaked or snuck |
| swing | swung | swung |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
Swing/swung in sentence examples
| Verb form | Example Sentences |
|---|---|
| Swing (swings or swinging) |
You have to swing the ax with force. He swings by most afternoons. Turn left, keep going forward, then swing to the left. |
| Swung (past tenses and past participle) |
I'd swung the bat as hard as I could. She swung the open open. |
| Swung |
I had swung and missed. He swung past me without a word. |
Quotes from literature
I'm not promising anything, but there's a chance I may be able to swing something useful there.
—J. Christopher, Year of Comet
You will find we can swing a two-thirds vote.
—‘M. Twain’ & C. D., Gilded Age
He can swing the market so as to break a man.
—U. Sinclair, Money-Changers
She swung her right and plugged Slingsby a perfect beauty in the eye.
—P. G. Wodehouse, Bill the Conqueror
Mr. Collins leaped to his feet and swung a round-house right at the witness.
—Sun, Baltimore
Phrases with swing or swung
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a swing and a miss | To attempt something and fail at it. |
| To get in the swing of things/be back in full swing | To return to activity or being productive. |
| To go with a swing | When new people, typically in a work setting, help to bring fresh perspectives and insights. |
| Not enough room to swing a cat | A space is very small or cramped. |
| To take a swing at something | To try something new. |
| To swing for the bleachers | To attempt something with the maximum amount of effort. |
| To swing both ways | Said of people that are attracted to both men and women. |
| Swings and roundabouts | A situation where gains or advantages are offset by equal disadvantages. |
Practice: ‘Swing’ conjugations
The batter ______ at the first pitch and missed.
The old gate has ______ open in the wind all night.
The children are happily ______ on the playground set.
Let’s go to the park and ______ for a while.
His opinion on the matter often ______ depending on who he talks to.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense of swing?
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Is “swang” a correct past tense form?
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Is “swinged” the past tense of swing?
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What is the past participle of swing?
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How is “swung” used with auxiliary verbs?
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Sources
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Gale, Robert L. "Sinclair, Upton (20 September 1878–25 November 1968), novelist, reformer, and politician." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 2 Sep. 2025,Sproat, Iain. "Wodehouse, Sir Pelham Grenville (1881–1975), writer." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 01, 2017. Oxford University Press. Date of access 2 Sep. 2025.
Yash, D. "How to Use Swing (Irregular Verb Conjugations)." Grammarflex, Sep 4, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/swing-conjugations/.
