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one of the meanings of "swing" from oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:

to swing - to move or make something move with a wide curved movement:
(1) A line of cars swung out of the palace gates.

I understand "swung" means some movement here.
But I can't understand what specific movement it means.
What is "a wide curved movement" as applied to (1)?

To better understand (1), I will introduce my variant with "moved":
(2) A line of cars moved out of the palace gates.

What is the difference between (1) and (2)?

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  • moved is nondescript whereas swung suggests the cars turned onto the roadway upon exiting the gate.
    – TimR
    Commented Nov 19, 2023 at 2:24
  • A synonym might be "pivoted" or "turned", i.e., not moving straight ahead.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented Nov 19, 2023 at 2:50

1 Answer 1

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A "wide curved movement" as described in the dictionary can be imagined to be one you would see in a large processsion or parade. Due to the typically large number of vehicles and participants marching, the swept path made when such a large group makes a turn is usually wide.

Using moved, which as @TimR said is nondescript would not express the scene as well as swung does.

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  • Assuming that the gates opened on to a road going past the palace, the procession would have to turn right or left. As Seowjooheng says, it would need to turn in a 'wide curve'.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Nov 19, 2023 at 9:04

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