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Glite Dictionary
to swing out

to swing out

6 3.9
To move outward in a wide, sweeping motion
  • phrasal verb
  • /swɪŋ aʊt/
translation icon : sacar
  • You'll swing out of the way.
  • doors swing out
  • arms swing out
  • legs swing out

And when they swing out further away, the clocks speed up.

Examples

  • His fingers find a diagonal crevice and swings out, now hanging by the vertical face above the overhang.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Waits a beat, then swings out in front of the door.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Benjamin, swing out a little.

    Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)

  • Swing out a little bit when you run around the base.

    Bad News Bears (2005)

  • Swing out to the right there, come through again.

    The Wolf Man (1941)

  • Then the line of traffic ended, and he swung out onto the road.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Watch officers on a platform that swings out over it update the latest ship positions.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Jumping Hare took the lead, swinging out on his snowshoes.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Sam jumps up, grabs hold of the door's top molding, and swings out over the sidewalk.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The children swing out over the water on the ropes, enjoying the thrill of the motion.

Synonyms

to sweep
vsto swing out
182 2.1

To move quickly and smoothly in a wide motion

is specifically an outward motion away from a center or place
to reach out
vsto swing out
73 2.7

To stretch a hand toward something to touch it

is a wide, sweeping outward movement rather than a simple stretch
to thrust
vsto swing out
66 3.9

To push something or someone suddenly and forcefully forward

is an outward wide motion rather than a sudden forceful push
to fan out
vsto swing out
30 3.7

To spread out from one point in different directions

is one wide outward motion rather than spreading in many directions
to push out
vsto swing out
16 3.2

To move something outward using force

is a wide sweeping outward movement rather than only a forced push
to jut out
vsto swing out
9 3.4

To stick out from a surface like a rock or shelf

is an outward moving sweep rather than a stationary projection
to spread out
vsto swing out
4 3.2

To turn a body part outward from the middle

is an outward wide sweeping motion rather than only a turn from center
to thrust out
vsto swing out
2 4.8

Push something outward suddenly and strongly

is an outward motion that is broad and sweeping rather than sudden force
to stretch forth
vsto swing out
1 6.1

To reach out a hand or arm toward something to offer help

moves outward or away widely rather than reaching toward a single point
to swing wide
vsto swing out
1 3.9

Open a door or gate fully by moving it on its hinges

is a general outward sweeping motion not limited to hinged openings
to outfling
vsto swing out
  • Archaic
9.7

To throw or spread something outward with force

is an outward motion that is wide but not necessarily forceful
to exsert
vsto swing out
  • Specialized
9.9

To stick out from something

is an outward movement that moves widely rather than just projecting

How Wide

to fling
16 4.1
to swing out
6 3.9
to move out
36 2.8

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

swing + out

The sense 'to move or cause to move outward' is directly and compositionally built from 'swing' (move back and forth) plus the directional particle 'out' (away/outward). This verb+particle pattern is a common, predictable directional construction in English (and found cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb swing out gives a simple picture: something that can turn, like an arm, a door, or a crane, swings and moves out in a wide sweep. That's why it means 'to move or cause to move outward in a wide, sweeping motion'.