A swashbuckler is a bold, showy adventurer who fights with a sword — think of a pirate swinging on a rope, or a masked hero leaping from a balcony, grinning the whole time. The word also gets used for the film or book about such a person: "a classic swashbuckler" means an exciting sword-fighting adventure film. What makes a swashbuckler is not just the sword. It is the showing-off. A swashbuckler is brave, but he also wants you to see him being brave. He makes jokes while fighting. He takes the difficult route across the room because it looks better. There is warmth in the word — we like these people, even when they are technically criminals. The word belongs to a world of costume and old adventure stories. Nobody calls a modern soldier a swashbuckler. But people do stretch it: a sports commentator might call a fearless, flashy player "a bit of a swashbuckler", meaning he plays with dash and does not play safe. One quiet oddity: the original meaning was less flattering. A "swashbuckler" was once a noisy bully who banged his sword on his shield to look tough. The admiration came later.

（電影小說裡的）冒險家、劍客、俠盜；也指這類「刀光劍影冒險片」。強調的不只是勇敢，還有那份張揚愛現的瀟灑勁。