Meaning & use
swage
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A grooved metalworking tool or block that gives hot or cold metal a particular shape when it is hammered or pressed against it.
Grammar: Usually a single tool you can count: a swage, two swages.
Patterns
- a swage for something
The blacksmith clamped a round swage into the anvil to give the rod a smooth curve.
He bought a set of swages so he could form tubing at home.
A worn swage leaves ridges on the metal.
verbtransitivetechnical
To shape, reduce or join a piece of metal by forcing it into a swage or die, often by hammering.
Grammar: Takes an object: swage the end of the cable.
Patterns
- swage something onto something
- swage something down
The rigger swaged a metal sleeve onto the end of the steel cable.
You can swage the tip of the rod down to fit the socket.
They swaged the fittings by hand because the machine was broken.
Word forms
| plural | swages |
|---|---|
| third person singular | swages |
| past tense | swaged |
| past participle | swaged |
| -ing form | swaging |
Common combinations
- swage block
- The smith laid the hot bar across the swage block and struck it.
- swage a fitting
- She swaged a fitting onto the hydraulic hose.
- swage tool
- A hand-held swage tool is enough for small jobs.
- swaged end
- The swaged end of the cable was stamped with a serial number.
Synonyms and how they differ
- die
- A die is the broader word for any shaped tool that cuts or forms material, while a swage is specifically the type used to shape metal by hammering or squeezing.
- forge
- To forge is to shape metal by heating and hammering in general, whereas to swage is a narrower step of forcing it into a mould or groove.
- crimp
- To crimp is to squeeze metal so it grips something, and it is often done with pliers, while swaging usually means a firmer, die-based reshaping.
Word family
Commonly confused: swage or assuage?
swage vs assuage
Assuage means to make a feeling such as pain or worry less intense, and has nothing to do with metalwork even though it sounds similar.
Practice
A blacksmith uses a swage mainly to...
Choose one answer.
A swage is a grooved shaping tool for metal. Softening a worry is the meaning of the similar-sounding word assuage.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.