Entry 4 senses · 3 variants Webster, 1913 Swink /swĭngk/ · IPA /swɪŋk/ v. i. v. t. n. 01 v. i. To labor; to toil; to salve. imp. Swank; p. p. Swonken; p. pr. & vb. n. Swinking 1. To labor; to toil; to salve.[Obs. or Archaic] “Or swink with his hands and labor.” — Chaucer. “For which men swink and sweat incessantly.” — Spenser. “The swinking crowd at every stroke pant “Ho.”” — Sir Samuel Freguson. 02 v. t. To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor. 1. To cause to toil or drudge; to tire or exhaust with labor.[Obs.] “And the swinked hedger at his supper sat.” — Milton. 2. To acquire by labor.[Obs.] “To devour all that others swink.” — Chaucer. 03 n. Labor; toil; drudgery. 1. Labor; toil; drudgery.[Obs.]