sag
verb (used without object)
to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.
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sag
1 American
[sag]
/ sæg /
verb (used without object)
-
sags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sagged,
past participle, past
-
sagging
present participle
-
to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.
The roof sags.
-
to hang down unevenly; droop.
Her skirt was sagging.
-
to droop; hang loosely.
His shoulders sagged.
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to yield through weakness, lack of effort, or the like.
Our spirits began to sag.
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to decline, as in price.
The stock market sagged today.
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Nautical.
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(of a hull) to droop at the center or have excessive sheer because of structural weakness.
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to be driven to leeward; to make too much leeway.
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verb (used with object)
-
sags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sagged,
past participle, past
-
sagging
present participle
noun
-
an act or instance of sagging.
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the degree of sagging.
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a place where anything sags; depression.
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a moderate decline in prices.
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Nautical.
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deflection downward of a hull amidships, due to structural weakness.
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SAG
2
American
[sag]
/ sæg /
noun
sag
British
/ sæɡ /
verb
-
(also tr) to sink or cause to sink in parts, as under weight or pressure
the bed sags in the middle
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to fall in value
prices sagged to a new low
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to hang unevenly; droop
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(of courage, spirits, etc) to weaken; flag
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sagsimple
-
sagssimple
-
have saggedperfect
-
has saggedperfect
-
am saggingprogressive
-
are saggingprogressive
-
is saggingprogressive
-
have been saggingperfect progressive
-
has been saggingperfect progressive
Past
-
saggedsimple
-
had saggedperfect
-
was saggingprogressive
-
were saggingprogressive
-
had been saggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sag
1375–1425; late Middle English saggen (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian sagga to move slowly (akin to Low German sacken to sink, Norwegian, Danish sakke, Swedish sacka, Icelandic sakka to slow up, fall behind)
Explanation
When something sags, it leans, settles, or droops. If your bed sags in the middle, it can be hard to get a good night's sleep. When you're tired, your whole body may sag, drooping with exhaustion. And older people are sometimes surprised to look in the mirror and see that their faces are beginning to sag with age. Objects sag too, with weight or age: "The porch on that old house has started to sag — the whole thing may need to be torn down." Sag is probably related to the Old Norse sokkva, "to sink."
Vocabulary lists containing sag
"Harlem" by Langston Hughes
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"Harlem" by Langston Hughes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Shares for the fast-food chain have slid 50% this year as its sales sag.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Together, they are intended to support the muscles of the throat so the airway is less likely to sag or collapse during sleep.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
National rail said heat can cause overhead lines to expand and sag, line-side fires and also rails to buckle.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
His investment provided a jolt of support for Nike, which has been plotting a turnaround after losing ground to rivals and seeing sales sag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
I struggle into the bathroom where I sag against the wall, staring bleary-eyed at the ring of products around the sink.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
He has two pensions because they predate the merger of SAG, the film actors' union, and AFTRA, for television actors, in 2012.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The creators of SAG, aged between 35 and 41, settled in New York several years ago and remain active in the local Iranian diaspora and all have day jobs.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
His win came after a recent lead actor upset at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
The ceremony, formerly known as the SAG Awards, celebrates the best on-screen performances in TV and film of last year.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
From Harrison Ford’s lifetime achievement award to the big winners of the night, including “Sinners,” “The Pitt” and “The Studio,” here’s what happened at the SAG awards show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
If, at times, the narrative structure sags and the character portraits blur, it’s in service to the immensity of hope and defiance extinguished by the airstrike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Home buyers are scoring the biggest discounts in over a decade as the housing market sags from weak demand.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026
Gold and stocks have been rallying together to record highs, as the dollar sags and bond yields go sideways.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
A wooden bookcase piled with works of pre-Columbian history, archaeology and artist catalogs sags in the middle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
The icing sags and bunches out on one side like a slow-moving glacier, bringing tipping candles along with it.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
In this scenario, dense, water-rich portions of Earth's cooler outer crust periodically sagged downward and collapsed into the hotter mantle, transporting water with them.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Two load-bearing columns of a 37-story tower currently under construction, located near Grand Central Terminal, warped and several floors sagged on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
A high-rise building in Manhattan was at risk of collapse after columns buckled and floors sagged, officials said Tuesday, prompting an emergency response during the rush-hour commute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Their first two LPs sagged on the Billboard 200, but the third, in 1975, did well, boosted by the hit “It Only Takes a Minute.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Where his belly sagged, the shirt hung out over his pants.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Streaming giant Netflix is big enough around the world to make up for sagging viewership in the U.S.,
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Her protagonist - who is 50 - has a slight obsession with sagging skin, which will no doubt strike a chord with many.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
In this alternate universe, beautiful people have pig snouts, distorted mouths, and sagging cheeks.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
Treasury Secretary, and it’s the sagging yen he’s fighting to defend, not the dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
There, in Dallben’s chamber, moldering tomes overflowed the sagging shelves and spilled onto the floor amid heaps of iron cook-pots, studded belts, harps with or without strings, and other oddments.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
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