swan song
noun
Did you know?
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
Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
But despite the good-old-days sentimentality that served as the concert’s subtext, Wu-Tang’s performance felt fresh and inspired, as if all involved were invested in making this more a crowning achievement than swan song.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
Word that Yellowstone would be continuing in some form after its Season 5 finale first came down in December 2024, just ahead of the series’ swan song.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 14 Mar. 2025
Even Monroe herself had dramatic aspirations that a mere few films—namely her swan song, 1961’s The Misfits—gave her the chance to realize.
—Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for swan song
Cite this Entry
“Swan song.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swan%20song. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy Citation
Share