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Glite Dictionary
to swing by

to swing by

72 3.7
Visit a place for a short time while on the way somewhere
  • phrasal verb
  • /swɪŋ baɪ/
translation icon : pasar por
  • So, if you want to swing by, that would be pretty cool.
  • swing by to pick up
  • just swing by
  • swing by tomorrow

So I might have to swing by there for food, but we'll see.

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Examples

  • I don't have much time today, but you could swing by then.

    American Dream (2021)

  • As I said, I could swing by tonight...

    Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

  • So I might have to swing by there for food, but we'll see.

    Simon Wilson

  • So... you just swing by to say hello?

    Knox Goes Away (2024)

  • Maybe after I make my delivery, we could swing by your island.

    The Lost City (2022)

  • Mind if I swing by the studio and check out the progress?

    The Kill Room (2023)

  • I was wondering if it would be OK for us to swing by and come have a look tomorrow.

  • I'm gonna swing by his place just in case.

    Hollow Man (2000)

  • Hey, how about I swing by Costas on the way home and pick up some wings for lunch?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hey, after work, we'll swing by the bar and see what's up.

Synonyms

to come by
vsto swing by
  • Informal
506 3.9

Visit someone at home without calling first

is used for brief stops while going elsewhere rather than merely unplanned visits
to stop by
vsto swing by
  • Informal
494 2.5

To make a short visit to a person or place

is used mainly for brief stops when travelling rather than general casual visits
to drop by
vsto swing by
  • Informal
206 2.5

To visit someone or a place for a short time without planning

is used for short stops made while going elsewhere rather than unplanned calls
to pay a visit
vsto swing by
50 2.3

To go to someone's home or another place for a short time

is more casual and used for short informal stops
to pop in
vsto swing by
  • Informal
25 3.4

To make a short informal visit to a place

is used more for brief visits made while going to another place
to swing through
vsto swing by
  • US
1 3.9

Stop at a place for a short time while going somewhere else

means the same thing but uses different wording

How Long

to stay
∞ 1.0
to visit
∞ 1.0
to swing by
72 3.7
to pop in
  • Informal
25 3.4

Surface Forms

swing by infinitive
swinging by present participle
swings by third person singular
swung by past
swung by past participle

Morphology

swing + by

The sense 'to visit briefly' is partially inferable because 'swing' evokes movement and 'by' indicates passing near, so the combined image of moving past a place can lead to the idea of a short visit. However, this is a phrasal verb with metaphorical extension and multiple senses of 'swing', so many B1 learners who only know the literal constituents may not reliably predict the idiomatic use without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrasal verb swing by may come from the image of a swing or a swinging arm moving by a place for a moment. So to swing by somewhere means to 'visit briefly', often while you are on the way to somewhere else.