swoon
SWOON
/swuːn/
To faint from extreme emotion; to be overwhelmed by ecstatic joy or sentiment.
In modern usage, it's often used figuratively to describe being extremely impressed or attracted to someone.
The story behind the word. It comes from the Old English 'swogan,' meaning to overwhelm or suffocate. In the Victorian era, 'swooning' was a common literary trope for ladies overwhelmed by emotion (or tight corsets).
Word relationships
- faint: 'Faint' is the literal medical term; 'swoon' is the romanticized version.
- collapse: 'Collapse' is much more violent and less romantic.
- remain indifferent: To stay completely unaffected by emotion.
Commonly confused with
- pass out: 'Pass out' is informal and often implies exhaustion or intoxication.
Word family
- swooning (adjective): Fainting or overwhelmed.
Collocations
- swoon over
- make someone swoon
- near-swoon
Example sentences
- "Fans would literally swoon when the singer walked onto the stage." Describing the reaction to a pop star.
- "I faint, I perish, I swoon!" A dramatic poetic line. (Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Indian Serenade)
Memory hook
Swoon rhymes with 'moon'—think of someone looking at the moon and sighing. Swoon: Soon you'll fall down.
When not to use
In a medical context, use 'faint' or 'syncope.' 'Swoon' is reserved for romantic or dramatic contexts.
Fun facts
- The 'swoon' was so common in 18th-century novels that some critics called it the 'distress of the heroine.'
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