hold sway over

Idioms  

1. Dominate, have a controlling influence over, as in He held sway over the entire department. This idiom uses the noun sway in the sense of “power” or “dominion,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hold sway over

“These groups also hold sway over many of the communities where an estimated 200,000 mine workers live.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Analysts say her departure as party leader could mark the end of the family's dominance in Thai politics, though some believe the Shinawatras still hold sway over Pheu Thai.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

Mexican authorities have repeatedly denied that cartels control the country, though security experts say that organized crime does hold sway over vast swaths of Mexican territory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025

These fearsome carnivores, known for their splotchy fur and cackling “laughter,” form complicated social networks in which high-ranking females hold sway over males and other, less dominant females.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 29, 2024

Fortunately many of the classics have lost only in parts their moral and intellectual value, and hence still hold sway over us.

From The Literature of Ecstasy by Albert Mordell

Related Words

• administer
• command
• conduct
• dominate
• govern
• handle
• lead
• manage
• manipulate
• oversee
• regulate
• rule
• run
• supervise