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.
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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
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:
After the two steel columns buckled and several floors of the building began to sag, nine surrounding buildings were evacuated and emergency responders blocked off the streets amid morning rush hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
They added that the coils are rigid and don’t sag over time like single-strand wires, “which helps reduce the risk of accidental wildlife entanglement.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 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
Our efforts tend to sag when we feel comfortable in our roles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2025
Conor could hear the wood groan and saw the roof sag.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
The pending contract will improve AI protections, streaming residuals and merge SAG and AFTRA’s pension plans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
SAG-AFTRA says the new four-year deal offers protections related to artificial intelligence, increases minimum wage rates by 3% annually and merges the pension plans of previously separate unions SAG and AFTRA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Since they launched SAG two years ago, many artistic projects have emerged to complement the brand, with parties in New York and DJ sets performed by Iranian musicians.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
US actor Michael B Jordan has scored a surprise win at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards, giving him a surge of momentum in the final weeks before the Oscars.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 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
Home buyers are scoring the biggest discounts in over a decade as the housing market sags from weak demand.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026
Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, described the current picture as a jobless expansion, when GDP increases but the job market sags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
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
If hamburgers are sandwiches, Subway’s food faces competition from many more restaurants such as Burger King and McDonald’s, and the potential sandwich monopoly idea sags.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Now the skin sags over Javier’s brown irises, milky with age.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
This week, that mark had sagged to 40%, as shown in the chart below.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Contract signings sagged in the Northeast and Midwest, dropping a seasonally adjusted 8.3% and 3.3% from last January’s level.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
It isn’t as if the stock sagged consistently.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
Apparently they did, because he sagged in relief before walking over and picking up a large crowbar.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
The upper end, comprising more expensive homes, is humming along, particularly in pricey markets in the Northeast, while the lower end, comprising more affordable homes, is sagging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Several floors near the building’s collapsed columns were also sagging, according to city fire officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
If sagging cables touch trees or buildings below, that could cause an accident or power failure.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
A spokesman for Poland's long-distance rail operator, PKP Intercity, told AFP the heatwave was expected to affect traffic, with overhead power lines sagging and rails deforming.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
The two women are both white tourists and old, with sagging skin and too-short shorts showing off their blue veins.
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
