a suspended wreath, garland, drapery, or the like, fastened up at or near each end and hanging down in the middle; festoon.
a wreath, spray, or cluster of foliage, flowers, or fruit.
a festoon, especially one very heavy toward the center.
a swale.
a swaying or lurching movement.
to move heavily or unsteadily from side to side or up and down; sway.
to hang loosely and heavily; sink down.
to cause to sway, sink, or sag.
to hang or adorn with swags.
Slang.
Australian. a traveler's bundle containing personal belongings, cooking utensils, food, or the like.
slang property obtained by theft or other illicit means
slang goods; valuables
an ornamental festoon of fruit, flowers, or drapery or a representation of this
a swaying movement; lurch
dialect a depression filled with water, resulting from mining subsidence
informal (formerly) a swagman's pack containing personal belongings
informal to become a tramp
informal lots of
to lurch or sag or cause to lurch or sag
(tr) to adorn or arrange with swags
informal (intr) to tramp about carrying a pack of personal belongings
First recorded in 1520–30; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian svaga, svagga “to sway, rock”
First recorded in 1790–1800; special uses of swag 1
First recorded in 1965–70
Swag refers to valuable goods, often obtained illegally. Just because your friend has a bag of swag does not make him a pirate (although the patch and wooden leg might say otherwise). Generally meaning “loot, booty, or plunder,” swag is the stuff in the bags of excited party-goers and plunderers alike. It can also be a bundle carried by a swagman, an Australian migrant worker or drifter. From the Old Norse (re: Viking) sveggja, meaning “to swing or sway,” the verb swag can mean “to sway unsteadily or stagger.” Your bag of swag may swag from its own weight, and you too may swag just trying to carry it.
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The release was quickly followed by "Swag II," his eighth studio album.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Stephanie Wagner, a Rockaways native who runs a website called Country Swag, runs the bar’s music programming.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
After contributing to Bon Iver's Sable, Fable and Justin Bieber's acclaimed comeback, Swag, he scored two Grammy nominations for his second album, Baby.
From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025
Swag can seem endless during awards season, whether it’s gift bags at red-carpet events or for-your-consideration collectibles that studios send journalists.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025
Osgood wanted The Wail of the Sandal Swag, and a little girl asked for Timothy Squst.
From The Wide Awake Girls in Winsted by Barrett, Katharine Ellis
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.
