swinging

English

Etymology 1

The sexual practice is so called after the custom in swing dancing of changing partners after each dance, unlike traditional ballroom dance styles where one has a single partner.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋɪŋ

Noun

swinging (countable and uncountable, plural swingings)

1. The act or motion of that which swings.
   • 1973, Socialist Review, volume 8, page 331:

     Mr. Henderson's chief trouble seems to be that he cannot forget his old shiftiness of views and his pendulum-like swingings between Liberalism and Independent Labourism […]

2. An activity where couples engage in sexual activity with different partners, often in a group setting.

Translations

sexual practice

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 交換配偶／交换配偶 (jiāohuàn pèi'ǒu)

• Czech: grupensex m
• Finnish: parinvaihto (fi)
• French: échangisme (fr) m
• German: Swingen n
• Hungarian: svédszex, párcsere, swing (hu)
• Italian: scambismo m
• Japanese: スワッピング (suwappingu), スインギング (suingingu)
• Portuguese: swing (pt) m
• Russian: свинг (ru) m (sving), группово́й секс (ru) m (gruppovój sɛks)
• Spanish: intercambio de pareja m

Verb

swinging

1. present participle and gerund of swing

Adjective

swinging (comparative more swinging or swinginger, superlative most swinging or swingingest)

1. (informal) Fine, good, successful.
   • 1964, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure

     Didn't do anything great except saw "The Beatles" on The Ed Sullivan Show and Kathy practically had a bird. They are sorta cute but I think Ringo is swingin, George is cute, Paul is a good singer and John is icky. Too!

   The party was swinging.

2. Sexually promiscuous.
   • 2003 February 23, Bob Goldman, “Welcome To Splitsville”, in Florida Today‎^[1]:

     Hey, everyone fantasizes about what kind of swinging stud or studette they could be if they were only free from the shackles of domesticity.

Derived terms

• swinging-block
• swinging boom
• swinging bunt
• swinging dick
• swinging door
• swinging-door chad
• swinging post

 

Etymology 2

Adjective

swinging (comparative more swinging, superlative most swinging)

1. Alternative form of swingeing
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:

     “It is an eating fever then,” says the landlady; “for he hath devoured two swinging buttered toasts this morning for breakfast.”

Swedish

Noun

swinging c

1. swinging (sexual practice)

Related terms

• swinger
• swingerklubb

See also

• dogging