# swede

/ˈswid/ (US) · /swˈiːd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/swede
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a person from Sweden

noun · CEFR A2

a person who comes from the country of Sweden.

For teachers: a native or inhabitant of Sweden, or a person of Swedish descent.

- My new neighbour is a Swede who moved here to work in tech.
- The delegation included a prominent Swede who had spent decades advocating for environmental policy at the European level.

### 2. a vegetable

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

a large, round, yellow root vegetable that you can cook and eat.

For teachers: a large, fleshy, yellow-fleshed root vegetable of the species Brassica napus.

- We usually have mashed swede with our Sunday roast dinner.
- The chef recommended roasting the swede with honey and thyme to balance its naturally earthy and slightly bitter profile.

### 3. the head

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang · Informal

a slang word for your head.

For teachers: a slang term for the human head, often used in casual or humorous contexts.

- He fell over and got a nasty bump on his swede.
- He scratched his swede in confusion, unable to make sense of the complicated instructions provided in the manual.

### 4. to remake a film cheaply

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · Informal

to make a very cheap, amateur version of a famous movie.

For teachers: to produce a low-budget, amateur remake of a popular film, typically using household items and non-professional actors.

- They decided to swede the entire Star Wars movie in their garage over the weekend.
- The amateur film festival featured a category for fans who had sweded classic blockbusters using nothing but cardboard props and mobile phones.

Usage: The term originated from the film 'Be Kind Rewind'.

## Examples

- I usually roast swede with other root vegetables for dinner.
- The traditional recipe for the stew requires mashed swede and carrots to thicken the broth.
- While commonly used as livestock fodder in some regions, the swede remains a staple of northern European cuisine, particularly when mashed with butter and pepper.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.