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.
to yield through weakness, lack of effort, or the like.
Our spirits began to sag.
to decline, as in price.
The stock market sagged today.
Nautical.
(of a hull) to droop at the center or have excessive sheer because of structural weakness.
to be driven to leeward; to make too much leeway.
an act or instance of sagging.
the degree of sagging.
a place where anything sags; depression.
a moderate decline in prices.
Nautical.
deflection downward of a hull amidships, due to structural weakness.
(also tr) to sink or cause to sink in parts, as under weight or pressure
the bed sags in the middle
to fall in value
prices sagged to a new low
to hang unevenly; droop
(of courage, spirits, etc) to weaken; flag
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)
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The deals have turned Occidental into a formidable oil-and-gas producer but also saddled it with billions of dollars in debt that weigh it down when oil prices sag.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025
Bahandari says neglecting to account for weight distribution can cause your bookshelves to sag or collapse.
From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024
I don't sag my pants or wear my clothes super big.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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.
