Definition

1. Verb:

   • To faint or lose consciousness suddenly, typically due to a temporary drop in blood flow to the brain, often caused by shock, pain, or strong emotion.
   • To be overcome with a powerful feeling of emotion, such as admiration, joy, or infatuation, to the point of feeling weak or overwhelmed.

2. Noun:

   • An instance of fainting; a temporary loss of consciousness.
   • A state of being overwhelmed by a strong, often pleasurable, emotion.

Usage

• Verb:
  • Use "swoon" to describe the physical act of fainting. It is often followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the cause (e.g., swoon from, swoon with).
  • Use "swoon" figuratively to describe an intense emotional reaction, often in a romantic or admiring context.
• Noun:
  • Use "swoon" to refer to the event or state of fainting.
  • Use "swoon" to describe a state of ecstatic delight.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The heat was so intense that several people in the crowd began to swoon.
  • She swooned with delight when she saw the surprise he had planned.
• Noun:
  • He fell into a swoon after hearing the tragic news.
  • The actor's performance sent the audience into a swoon.

Advanced Usage

• "to swoon over": To be filled with excessive admiration or infatuation for someone or something.
  • Teenagers often swoon over their favorite pop stars.
• In a literary/archaic context: "Swoon" can be used to describe a gradual fading or weakening, akin to a dying sound or light.
  • The last notes of the melody swooned into silence.

Variants and Related Words

• Swooning (adj., present participle): The act of fainting or being in a state of ecstasy. Can also describe something that induces such a state.
  • She gave him a swooning look.
• Swooningly (adv.): In a manner characterized by or causing a swoon.
  • He was swooningly handsome.

Synonyms

• Verb (to faint): Faint, pass out, black out, collapse.
• Verb (to be overcome with emotion): Gush, rave, rhapsodize.
• Noun (faint): Faint, blackout, syncope (medical term).
• Noun (ecstatic state): Rapture, ecstasy, transport.

Phrasal Verbs / Common Collocations

• Swoon over: As detailed in Advanced Usage.
• Fall into a swoon: To faint; to enter a state of unconsciousness.
  • The character in the Victorian novel would often fall into a swoon at the slightest provocation.

Related Idioms

• In a dead swoon: Completely unconscious; in a deep faint.
  • She lay on the floor in a dead swoon for several minutes.

Noun

1. a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain

Verb

1. pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain