swan song

noun

1
: a song of great sweetness said to be sung by a dying swan
2
: a farewell appearance or final act or pronouncement

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Swans don't sing. They whistle or trumpet, or in the case of the swan most common in ponds, the mute swan, they only hiss and snort. But according to ancient legend, the swan does sing one beautiful song in its life-just before it dies. References in English to the dying swan's lovely singing go back as far as Chaucer, but the term swan song itself didn't appear in the language until the 1830s, when Thomas Carlyle used it in Sartor Resartus. Carlyle probably based his "swan song" on the German version of the term, which is Schwanengesang or Schwanenlied.

Examples of swan song in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse One should not underestimate the power of the Disney/Pixar bloc of voters in the Academy, which will support Elemental, or the international admiration for anime master Hayao Miyazaki, which could boost his probable swan song The Boy and the Heron. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 As the four-time Grammy-winning artist prepares for his swan song, his partnership with Fundación Hermes Music through the Guitarras Por La Paz (Guitars for Peace) campaign will continue to underline the Monterrey artist’s dedication to harnessing music as a vehicle for peace. Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2024 What turned out to be Robertson’s swan song was one of the most impressive scores of the year and the best film score of his career. Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023 Gunn's Marvel swan song Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is the second-biggest box office success of the year so far, but would-be blockbusters like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and DC's own The Flash have struggled with audiences. Christian Holub, EW.com, 26 June 2023 In her brief career, Winehouse would only release two full-length albums, her 2003 debut, Frank, and Grammy-winning 2006 international breakthrough/swan song, Back to Black; Winehouse died in 2011 at 27 of an accidental alcohol overdose after years of substance use struggles. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2024 When Dodge announced the internal-combustion swan song for the Challenger last year, who could have possibly thought that the 1,025 hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 sounded underwhelming? Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2024 The long reign of the Byzantines, Tolkien’s letters, Fitzgerald’s swan song, deadly gardens and more. Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023 That film does not yet have a director nor a start date, but it is expected to be the next Fast movie to hit theaters, to be followed by Fast XI, which would star Diesel and be a swan song for his character. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swan song.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swan song was in 1831

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Cite this Entry

“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swan song

noun
: a farewell appearance or final act or public statement
Etymology

from the legend that a dying swan sings a beautiful song

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